Vodafone Idea, the country's leading telecommunications service provider is sending out SMSes to its users stating to stay away from suspicious numbers. Telcos usually warn their users to stay alert all the time and not pick up any unwanted incoming voice calls received on their mobile phone, but this time around, Vodafone Idea is sending out a text message to each and every customer notifying that there might be some threat behind that suspicious voice call. "While receiving an international call, if an Indian number or no number us displayed on your phone, please inform on toll-free number 1800-110-420 or 1963," reads the message from Vodafone Idea.
Vodafone Idea Urges Users to Keep the Company Informed About Suspicious Calls
The newly formed entity of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular is seeking help from its subscribers to trace out these calls. As the message by the company reads, it's asking the users who received an anonymous voice call to immediately inform by calling the toll-free numbers- '1963' or '1800-110-420'. This news is reported by ET Telecom stating that several Vodafone Idea customers are receiving the same message.
For the unaware, the two helpline numbers mentioned above were introduced by Trai last year, making it easier for subscribers to immediately report any suspicious call they receive. Every year, the government traces out such anonymous calls from unknown mobile numbers based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), so if you receive any such voice call, go ahead and dial the numbers mentioned above.
Another interesting data to note is that the government traced out various illegal exchanges last year in Delhi. According to the report, the government had traced out 11 illegal exchanges in 2016-17 in Andhra Pradesh, six in Eastern Uttar Pradesh in 2017-18, two issues in Kerala and one issue in Odisha. While Andhra Pradesh had the maximum illegal exchanges of 11 in 2016-17, the count reduced to zero in 2017-18.
Other Telcos Also Warn Their Users to Stay Alert
This is not the first time we're seeing such useful messages from a telco. In the past, Bharti Airtel also warned its users always to stay away from an anonymous call asking for any of your details or trying to make an illegal activity. The new entrant Reliance Jio also keeps its users updated about such info.
Install Anti-Spam Apps to Stay Active
There are several mobile applications available on the web which gives information about the call or text message you're receiving. For example, we have Truecaller which runs in the background and gives you the Caller ID for an incoming call. Also, it displays whether the mobile number is marked as spam or not. Usually, Truecaller works on the data given by public and if a user marks a particular number as spam, it will be displayed as spam for other users as well.
