DoT launches 'International incoming spoofed calls prevention system' to safeguard citizens from cyber frauds

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The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) launched the ‘International Incoming Spoofed Calls Prevention System' on 22nd October 2024. This system identifies calls that appear to be originating from within India but are made by cybercriminals from abroad by manipulating the calling line identity (CLI). These spoofed calls have been used in cybercrimes like threatening disconnection of mobile numbers by fraudsters impersonating as DoT/TRAI officials, fake digital arrests, drugs/narcotics in courier, impersonation as police officials, and arrests in sex rackets.

Within 24 hours of the operation of the system, about 1.35 crore or 90 per cent of all the incoming international calls with tempered Indian phone numbers were identified as spoofed calls and blocked by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) from reaching Indian telecom subscribers. In the latest reports of December 2024, the spoofed calls identified and blocked with Indian numbers have dipped to about 6 lakhs indicating that the system has successfully tackled the issue of cyber-crimes that were being conducted through calls that were being made from abroad, but the CLI was tempered to look as Indian number.

However, fraudsters have now shifted their tactics and are using international numbers for their deceptive practices. It is noted that fraudsters are increasingly impersonating government authorities by calling from international numbers that do not start with +91 but start with numbers such as +8, +85, +65 etc. DoT has formed a dedicated task force comprising various stakeholders that is actively working to address such spoofed calls. One of the recommendations of the task force was that TSPs should display "International Call" to the subscribers whenever any call from outside the country is received. This will help the users to understand that such calls cannot be from Indian Authorities or organizations like TRAI, Police, Income Tax etc.

One of the TSPs (Airtel) has implemented the technical solution and has already started displaying "International Call" for all calls received from outside the country. Other TSPs are exploring the technical feasibility of implementing the same.

The DoT advises Citizens that they should show caution with respect to answering calls from unfamiliar international numbers that are not starting with +91 and which claim to be from government authorities of India. Citizens are advised to report such suspected fraud communications at the Chakshu facility on Sanchar Saathi (www.sancharsaasthi,gov.in ).

For those who have already lost money or been victims of cybercrime, the incident should be immediately reported at the cybercrime helpline number 1930 or the website https://www.cybercrime.gov.in.

The DoT has been taking proactive measures towards strengthening its capacity to curb the misuse of telecom resources in cyber frauds and cyber-crimes. The department's continued focus has been on tackling emerging cyber threats, securing telecom services, and providing citizens with safe and reliable communication networks.

The cyber awareness caller tunes being played over the past few days are a result of an order issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The DoT has directed all telecom companies to play awareness caller tunes 8-10 times a day for the next three months. These caller tunes address various aspects of cyber fraud and aim to educate the public about online safety.