The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has started blocking handsets used in fraudulent activities besides disconnecting mobile numbers.
The DoT had also launched Chakshu portal two months ago to handle telecom fraud related grievances. According to official sources, since the launch of the portal, DoT has blacklisted 52 entities involved in sending malicious and phishing SMSes, blocked 348 mobile handsets on pan-India basis and flagged 10,834 suspected mobile numbers for re-verification.
As per the sources, the DoT has deactivated 700 SMS content templates. Meanwhile, 10,834 suspected mobile numbers have been flagged for re-verification to the telecom operators, and 8,272 mobile connections have been disconnected failing re-verification till April 30, 2024.
In addition, DoT has blocked 0.158 million unique mobile device identification number IMEI due to involvement in cybercrimes and financial frauds or mobile connections taken on fake or forged documents.
As per the official data, DoT has disconnected a total of 16.6 million mobile connections, out of which 3.014 million were disconnected based on users’ feedback and 5.378 million for exceeding individual limit to buy new SIM cards till April 30, 2024.
