The government is planning to set up an intelligence unit and a consumer protection system in an effort to curb pesky calls and take strict action against financial frauds being carried out using telecom means.
The move follows a direction from telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who chaired a high level meeting that was organised to explore ways to address rising concerns of consumers over unsolicited messages on mobile phones and repeated harassment through SMSes promising loan transactions through fraudulent ways. Further, the meeting also explored ways to make digital transactions more safe and secure.
Even though the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) already has regulations in place to check pesky calls, several unregistered telemarketers still make calls to people which often also leads to fraudulent incidents.
Thus, the government has decided to set up a nodal agency called Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU), which will coordinate with various law enforcement agencies (LEAs), financial institutions and telecom service providers in investigating any fraudulent activity involving telecom resources.
Further, at the license service area level, Telecom Analytics for Fraud Management and Consumer Protection (TAFCOP) system will also be created.
To this end, the telecom minister has directed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to hold a meeting with telecom operators and telemarketers to apprise them of the new development and ensure compliance with laid down rules and procedures regarding this.
As per industry sources, any violation of the said rules by the telemarketers will lead to imposition of financial penalty.
