Parliament Question: Rising Incidents of Spam Calls, Fraudulent Calls and Telecom-based Digital Fraud

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 474 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25TH MARCH, 2026 RISING INCIDENTS OF SPAM CALLS, FRAUDULENT CALLS AND TELECOM- BASED DIGITAL FRAUD *474. SMT. ROOPKUMARI CHOUDHARY: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) the details of the number of complaints received regarding spam calls, fraudulent calls and unsolicited commercial communications during the last five years, year-wise; (b) whether the Government has assessed the financial losses suffered by citizens due to telecom- based digital frauds and scam calls during the last five years and if so, the details thereof; (c) whether it is a fact that many spam and fraudulent calls are made through international spoofed numbers, virtual numbers and illegal SIM cards and if so, the measures taken to curb such practices; (d) whether the Government has reviewed the effectiveness of the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) framework implemented by TRAI to control unsolicited commercial communication and if so, the findings thereof; and (e) whether the Government proposes to mandate telecom operators to implement advanced AI-based call filtering, caller authentication or spam detection systems to protect consumers? ANSWER MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION (SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA) (a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House. 1STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 474 FOR 25TH MARCH, 2026 REGARDING “RISING INCIDENTS OF SPAM CALLS, FRAUDULENT CALLS AND TELECOM-BASED DIGITAL FRAUD.” (a) & (b) Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) or spam calls are regulated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) under its Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR). As per data provided by TRAI, the number of complaints received for UCC during the last five years, year-wise, is as follows: Year 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 UCC Complaints 12,84,061 10,83,049 13,62,932 19,38,757 31,09,835 Under the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, matter relating to cybercrime are allocated to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). MHA has established the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) as an attached office of the Ministry to provide a framework and ecosystem for law enforcement agencies to deal with cybercrimes. MHA has also established the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to enable citizens to report cybercrime incidents online on the portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) and its helpline (toll-free number 1930). Data on financial losses suffered by citizens due to telecom-based digital frauds is not separately maintained. (c) It has been observed that international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers that appear to be originating from within India are sometimes misused to impersonate government officials in cyber-frauds. The Department of Telecommunications has deployed an International Incoming Spoofed Calls Prevention System (CIOR) to identify and block such calls. On its commissioning on 17.10.2024, CIOR blocked 1.35 crore calls in 24 hours, resulting in nearly 99% reduction in spoofed calls with Indian calling line identification. Calls that still land on international gateways are blocked there itself. (d) & (e) With a view to control UCC, TRAI has implemented a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform on which around 22.3 crore consumers have registered their preferences regarding receipt of promotional communication. More than 3.20 lakh principal entities (businesses like banks, insurance companies, airlines etc.) and 23,000 telemarketers have been registered on the DLT platform. As per information submitted by Access Service Providers during the month of January 2026 over 8.3 crore SMSs and voice calls were blocked per day by the DLT system on the average based on the registered preferences of customers. In addition, a complaint mechanism has been implemented on the DLT platform for registration of complaints from both registered and unregistered telemarketers and to facilitate the flow of complaints among various access service providers for taking action. To further strengthen the DLT framework, the aforementioned regulations of TRAI provide for deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning based spam detection systems by access service providers for identifying suspected senders and unregistered telemarketers through analysis of communication patterns. TRAI has also issued a direction on 27.2.2026 to access service providers, to leverage this AI-based UCC detection system for taking additional deterrent measures against senders who are frequently tagged as “suspected spammers” by such systems. Such measures include re-verification of the Know Your Customer (KYC) documents of the suspected UCC sender, carrying out of physical verification, and disconnection of telecom resources in case of repeated complaints. ***** 2