DoT is actively promoting digital safety and preventing telecom-related frauds through widespread multilingual awareness campaigns

**Executive Summary** The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is actively working to prevent telecom-related frauds and promote digital safety through various measures. Key initiatives include the development of tools such as Sanchar Saathi and Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), along with platforms like the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP). These efforts aim to protect citizens from cyber fraud and misuse of telecom resources across India. The initiatives and achievements were announced on 04 FEB 2026. **Key Points / Main Content** * **Citizen Empowerment and Fraud Prevention:** * **Sanchar Saathi:** A citizen-centric initiative (web portal and mobile app) that allows citizens to report suspected fraud, check mobile connections in their name, and report lost/stolen handsets. * Through Sanchar Saathi, 8.33 lakh lost/stolen handsets have been recovered. * 2.24 crore mobile connections reported as ‘Not My Number' have been disconnected. * 39.44 lakh mobile connections have been disconnected based on 7.7 lakh citizen inputs related to suspected fraud. * **International Spoofed Calls:** A system to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers, resulting in an almost 99% reduction in such call attempts. * **Data Analytics and Platform Development:** * **ASTR (AI and Big Data Analytics Tool):** Identifies SIMs taken by the same person in different names, leading to the disconnection of over 88 lakh mobile connections failing reverification. * **Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP):** A secure online platform for bi-directional information sharing among stakeholders to prevent misuse of telecom resources in cyber-crimes and financial frauds. Over 1200 organizations, including central security agencies, State/UT Police, Banks, and Telecom Service Providers, are onboarded on DIP. * **Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI):** A risk-based metric that classifies a mobile number to have been associated with medium, high, or very high risk of financial fraud. * Banks and UPI service providers use FRI to initiate action on associated accounts/profiles. * The FRI has prevented over 1000 crores in fraud through transaction decline and alert/notifications. * **Public Safety and Cybersecurity:** * **Common Alerting Protocol (CAP):** Strengthened public warning systems for disaster management through nationwide implementation, enabling timely, geo-targeted, and multilingual dissemination of emergency alerts. * **T-CSIRT Framework:** A sectoral incident response and cybersecurity coordination function for the telecommunication ecosystem to enable timely detection, analysis, coordination, and mitigation of cyber incidents impacting telecom networks of TSPs. * **Awareness Campaigns:** * Actively promoting digital safety and preventing telecom-related frauds through widespread multilingual awareness campaigns using social media, news articles, digital screens, hoardings, TV/radio, SMS, and student volunteers through the Sanchar Mitra scheme. **Impact Analysis** **Stakeholder: Citizens** * **Impact:** Increased protection from cyber fraud and misuse of telecom resources, ability to report and address fraudulent activities, improved awareness of digital safety measures. * **Action Required:** Utilize Sanchar Saathi to report suspected fraud, verify mobile connections, and report lost/stolen handsets. **Stakeholder: Banks and UPI Service Providers** * **Impact:** Enhanced ability to identify and prevent financial fraud through the use of FRI, access to the Digital Intelligence Platform for information sharing. * **Action Required:** Integrate FRI data into their risk assessment processes and take necessary action on associated accounts/profiles. **Stakeholder: Telecom Service Providers (TSPs)** * **Impact:** Participation in blocking spoofed calls and reverifying mobile connections identified through ASTR, involvement in the Digital Intelligence Platform, and integration of security measures to mitigate cyber incidents. * **Action Required:** Collaborate with DoT to implement and maintain systems for identifying and blocking fraudulent activities. **Stakeholder: Law Enforcement and Security Agencies** * **Impact:** Enhanced coordination and information sharing through the Digital Intelligence Platform, improved ability to combat cybercrimes and financial frauds. * **Action Required:** Utilize DIP to collaborate with other stakeholders and take necessary action against fraudulent activities.

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