DoT requests that 680,000 shady cellphone connections be verified by carriers

Telecom providers have been requested by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to check roughly 680,000 mobile connections that may have been gained via the use of forged, fraudulent, or invalid proof of address and proof of identity papers.

Telecom providers have been given 60 days by the telecom department to confirm the suspected mobile numbers. “The concerned mobile numbers will be disconnected if the re-verification process is not completed,” the Department of Transportation said in a statement on Thursday.

The DoT’s decision is significant given the threat of a rise in phone-based financial fraud. The government has been identifying such questionable numbers using analysis powered by AI.

According to DoT, the identification of these fake links was made possible by the cooperation of several sectors and the use of AI technology. This highlights the efficacy of integrated digital platforms in the fight against identity fraud.

The Department of Technology (DoT) said last week that it had disabled close to 0.19 million devices used in cybercrime and removed over 17 million phony mobile connections.

The same was carried out in response to grievances that the DoT had received via the Sanchar Saathi site, as well as feedback from important parties including banks and the ministry of home affairs. DoT data indicates that, in response to complaints, it has examined 1.34 billion mobile connections to date.

In addition, the government has opened the Chakshu site for reporting unauthorized or suspicious calls, texts, or WhatsApp messages. The data shows that as of right now, the DoT has received 28,412 complaints, identified 10,834 connections for reverification, and severed 8,272 connections for failing re-verification.