The government has intensified its crackdown on mobile operators in response to the increasing nuisance of persistent pesky calls and financial frauds. Telecom regulator Trai has imposed a fine of Rs 110 crore as a “financial disincentive” on operators. Additionally, the government has successfully recovered an amount of nearly Rs 1,000 crore, which was pilfered by cybercriminals, aiding nearly four lakh users in reclaiming their funds. Detailing the extensive action against pesky calls and fraudulent telecom activities, the government revealed that it has disconnected 55.5 lakh mobile connections obtained through fake or forged documents. Consequently, nearly 9.9 lakh bank accounts and payment wallets linked to these connections have been frozen.
In a statement to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan disclosed that 2.8 lakh mobile connections were severed due to their involvement in cybercrime or financial frauds, as reported by law enforcement agencies through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Additionally, approximately 1.3 million connections were blocked for their association with cybercrime or financial fraud activities. Concurrently, as measures were taken against these mobile connections, 2.2 lakh WhatsApp accounts linked to disconnected mobile connections obtained through fraudulent means were also deactivated. The government has initiated a series of actions against telecom companies for their failure to stem the tide of unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) directed at millions of mobile customers, despite the implementation of various countermeasures that have largely proven ineffective.
Chauhan emphasized that several measures have been implemented to shield consumers from pesky calls and spam commercial messages. “Trai has issued the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018, and directives are issued periodically. Users have the option to block commercial communications in specific categories or all of them,” he stated.
