The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has announced the disconnection of 24,228 mobile connections and 42 unique international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) numbers linked to repeated fraudulent activity with immediate effect. These IMEI numbers were associated with only three mobile numbers.
This action was prompted by complaints from the public through the government’s Chaksu portal.
The IMEI number, a unique 15-digit serial identifier for mobile devices, revealed a concerning trend, thousands of numbers linked to a few devices. Notably, one of the 42 IMEIs was used with 4,146 mobile numbers. Additionally, the DoT has instructed telecom service providers to block these IMEIs nationwide. This effort is part of the department’s 100-day agenda to combat the increasing problem of spam calls and text messages through various interventions.
