Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, unveiled the ‘International Incoming Spoofed Calls Prevention System’ at a formal event attended by Minister of State for Communications & Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar. Senior officials, including the Secretary of Telecom, were also present at the launch, marking a significant step in safeguarding Indian telecom subscribers from cybercrime.
Cyber criminals have been increasingly using international spoofed calls, which falsely display Indian phone numbers (+91-xxxxxxxxxx), to commit financial scams and impersonate government officials. These spoofed calls create an illusion of being made domestically while originating from abroad by manipulating the calling line identity (CLI).
Criminals have exploited these spoofed calls for various nefarious purposes, including financial fraud, impersonation of law enforcement, and creating panic by threatening users with mobile number disconnections or fake arrests. In some cases, victims have even been implicated in fabricated crimes like drug-related offenses.
To combat these threats, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has collaborated with Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to develop a system capable of identifying and blocking such spoofed calls. Within the first 24 hours of the system’s operation, it successfully blocked approximately 1.35 crore international calls spoofing Indian numbers, preventing 90% of these fraudulent calls from reaching Indian users.
Despite the system’s effectiveness, scammers may still employ alternate methods. The DoT encourages citizens to report suspicious calls via the Chakshu facility on the Sanchar Saathi platform (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in). Additionally, those who fall victim to cybercrime can report incidents to the national cybercrime helpline at 1930 or through the official website: https://www.cybercrime.gov.in.
