**Executive Summary**
This document is an answer from the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development to Unstarred Question No. 915 in Lok Sabha, regarding measures taken by the Government to prevent the misuse of telecommunications resources and protect against cyber fraud. The answer outlines initiatives like Sanchar Saathi, AI based analysis tools, and the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) in place as of February 4th, 2026. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is the key entity taking action.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Measures to Prevent Cyber Fraud:**
* **Sanchar Saathi:** Citizen-centric initiative (web portal and mobile app) to report fraud, identify connections, and report stolen handsets. Enabled recovery of 8.33 lakh handsets, disconnection of 2.24 crore mobile connections, and 39.44 lakh connections based on citizen reports.
* **International Spoofed Call Blocking:** System to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls displaying Indian numbers resulting in almost 99% reduction in such calls.
* **ASTR (AI and Big Data Analytics Tool):** Identifies SIMs taken by the same person under different names. Over 88 lakh connections have been disconnected failing reverification.
* **Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP):** Secure online platform for information sharing between stakeholders (security agencies, police, banks, UPI providers, Telecom Service Providers) to prevent misuse of telecom resources. Over 1200 organizations are onboarded.
* **Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI):** Risk-based metric classifying mobile numbers based on fraud risk. Stakeholders like Banks and UPI service providers initiate action based on risk level. Over ₹1000 crores in fraud amount was prevented.
* **Disaster Management:**
* **Common Alerting Protocol (CAP):** Implementation of nationwide CAP-based integrated alert system using indigenous solutions. Enables timely, geo-targeted, and multilingual dissemination of emergency alerts.
* **Cybersecurity Framework:**
* **T-CSIRT:** Sectoral incident response and cyber security coordination function for the telecommunication ecosystem. It enables timely detection, analysis, coordination, and mitigation of cyber incidents.
* **Awareness Campaigns:**
* DoT is actively promoting digital safety through widespread multilingual campaigns including social media, news articles, digital screens, SMS campaigns, and student volunteers.
**Impact Analysis**
**Citizens**
* **Impact:** Citizens are directly impacted by the efforts to prevent cyber fraud and improve digital safety.
* **Action Required:** Utilize Sanchar Saathi to report suspected fraud, check mobile connections, and report stolen handsets. Heed digital safety advisories.
**Banks and UPI Service Providers**
* **Impact:** These entities are impacted by the FRI, which helps them identify and address potentially fraudulent transactions.
* **Action Required:** Utilize the FRI to initiate necessary action on associated accounts/profiles.
**Telecom Service Providers (TSPs)**
* **Impact:** TSPs are key stakeholders in implementing measures to prevent cyber fraud and improve cybersecurity, and in disseminating emergency alerts.
* **Action Required:** Collaborate with DoT on various initiatives, implement the international spoofed call blocking system, disseminate emergency alerts, and participate in the T-CSIRT framework.
**Law Enforcement Agencies**
* **Impact:** Law Enforcement Agencies (Central Security Agencies, State/UT Police, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)) can access and use the Digital Intelligence Platform to prevent the misuse of telecom resources in cybercrimes and financial frauds.
* **Action Required:** Onboard the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) and use it for bidirectional information sharing.
**Disaster Management Authorities**
* **Impact:** Affected by measures to improve disaster management and public warnings.
* **Action Required:** Coordinate with DoT and Telecom Service Providers.
Key Entities Referenced
Department of Telecommunications (DoT): The primary government department undertaking measures to prevent misuse of telecommunications and cyber fraud.
Sanchar Saathi: A citizen-centric initiative (web portal and mobile app) developed by DoT to facilitate reporting suspected fraud, check mobile connections, and report lost/stolen handsets.
Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI): A risk-based metric developed by DoT to classify mobile numbers based on their risk of being associated with financial fraud.
Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP): A secure online platform established by DoT for bi-directional information sharing among stakeholders for preventing misuse of telecom resources in cyber-crimes and financial frauds.
Odisha: A specific state mentioned in the context of actions taken to prevent cyber fraud and strengthen disaster warning systems.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS
DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 915
TO BE ANSWERED ON 4TH FEBRUARY, 2026
FINANCIAL FRAUD RISK INDICATOR (FRI)
†915. SHRI TEJASVI SURYA:
DR. RAJESH MISHRA:
SHRI NEERAJ MAURYA:
SMT. SHOBHANABEN MAHENDRASINH BARAIYA:
SHRI DEVESH SHAKYA:
SHRI BALABHADRA MAJHI:
SHRI YADUVEER WADIYAR:
SHRI DAMODAR AGRAWAL:
SMT. APARAJITA SARANGI:
SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI:
SHRI SHANKAR LALWANI:
Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:
(a) the measures taken by the Government to prevent the misuse of telecommunications
resources and to protect against cyber fraud;
(b) the outcomes achieved by the Government through initiatives such as Sanchar Saathi, the
financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) and the Digital Intelligence Platform in preventing the misuse
of telecommunications resources and safeguarding against cyber fraud including the number of cases
detected, blocked and resolved in the State of Odisha;
(c) the extent and the manner in which coordination is being undertaken by the Government with
banks and law enforcement agencies for real-time detection of fraud and prompt action with specific
details of such coordination mechanisms joint action undertaken in Odisha;
(d) the steps taken by the Government to strengthen the resilience of telecommunications systems
using indigenous technologies such as Broadcasting Cell during disasters and to strengthen public
warning systems; and whether those systems have been implemented, listed or operationalised in
disaster-prone areas of Odisha; and
(e) the future roadmap proposed by the Government to further strengthen digital trust, cyber
security and citizen awareness in the rapidly expanding telecommunications ecosystem?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)
(a) to (c) Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has undertaken the following measures to
prevent the misuse of telecommunications resources and to protect citizens against cyber fraud on
pan India basis including Odisha:
1i. DoT has developed Sanchar Saathi, a citizen centric initiative, available as web portal (
www.sancharsaathi.gov.in ) and mobile App, which facilitates citizens to report suspected
fraud communications, to know mobile connections in their name, to report lost/ stolen
mobile handsets, to check genuineness of mobile handset etc. Through Sanchar Saathi, 8.33
lakh lost/ stolen mobile handsets have been recovered, 2.24 crore mobile connections,
reported by the citizens as ‘Not My Number’ or ‘Not Required’, have been disconnected and
39.44 lakh mobile connections have been disconnected based on 7.7 lakh inputs provided by
the citizens related to suspected fraud communications.
ii. DoT and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have devised a system to identify and block
incoming international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers. The system has
resulted in almost 99% reduction in such call attempts.
iii. DoT has developed an indigenous Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big data Analytics tool
ASTR to identify SIMs taken by same person in different names. Based on ASTR, more than
88 lakh mobile connections have been disconnected failing reverification.
iv. DoT has established Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), a secure online platform, for bi-
directional information sharing with stakeholders for prevention of misuse of telecom
resources in cyber-crimes and financial frauds. More than 1200 organizations have been on-
boarded on DIP including central security agencies, 36 State/UT Police, Indian Cyber Crime
Coordination Centre (I4C), 1100 Banks, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) service providers,
Payment System Operators (PSOs), Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), WhatsApp etc.
v. DoT has developed Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) which is a risk-based metric that
classifies a mobile number to have been associated with medium, high, or very high risk of
financial fraud. Based on FRI, the stakeholders like Banks and UPI service providers initiate
necessary action as per their analysis on the associated accounts /profiles in their respective
domain. As reported by stakeholders, total fraud amount prevented based on transaction
decline and alert/notifications given to the citizens is more than ₹1000 crores.
(d) Public warning systems for disaster management have been strengthened through the
nationwide implementation of Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)-based integrated alert system,
using indigenous solutions, enabling timely, geo-targeted, and multilingual dissemination of
emergency alerts in close coordination with disaster management authorities, alert generating
agencies and alert disseminating agencies including TSPs.
(e) DoT has made a T-CSIRT framework which is sectoral incident response and cyber security
coordination function for telecommunication ecosystem. Its core purpose is to enable timely
detection, analyze, coordinate and mitigate cyber incidents and vulnerabilities impacting telecom
networks of TSPs, also comprising of Critical Telecom Infrastructure.
DoT is actively promoting digital safety and preventing telecom-related frauds through
widespread multilingual awareness campaigns including social media platforms, news articles,
digital screens, hoardings in public spaces, TV & radio messages, SMS campaigns, student
volunteers through Sanchar Mitra scheme etc.
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