Government Launches New Initiatives to Combat Cyber Fraud and Misuse of Telecom Resources

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Government Launches New Initiatives to Combat Cyber Fraud and Misuse of Telecom Resources

Government Launches New Portals to Combat Cyber Fraud and Misuse of Telecom Resources
The Ministry of Communications (MoC) has launched two new initiatives today: ‘Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP)’ and the ‘Chakshu’ facility on the Sanchar Saathi portal. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT)’s DIP is for coordination among stakeholders to curb the misuse of telecom resources in cyber-crime and financial frauds, while the Chakshu facility is an initiative empowering citizens to proactively report suspected fraudulent communication, the MoC said on Monday.

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Led by Minister of Communications, Railway, and Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Minister of State for Communications, Devusinh Chauhan, the launch of these new tools aims to empower citizens in reporting suspected fraudulent communications and enhance coordination among stakeholders.

Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP)

The Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) is a secure and integrated platform for real-time intelligence sharing among Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), law enforcement agencies (LEAs), financial institutions (FIs), social media platforms, identity document issuing authorities, etc. The portal aims to combat cybercrime and financial fraud by facilitating information exchange and coordination among stakeholders. The DIP platform is not accessible to citizens.

Chakshu facility on the Sanchar Saathi portal

Meanwhile, the Chakshu facility on the Sanchar Saathi portal enables citizens to report suspected fraudulent communications received via call, SMS, or WhatsApp. It covers a range of fraudulent activities, including KYC expiry scams, or update of bank account / payment wallet / SIM / gas connection / electricity connection, sextortion, impersonation as government official / relative for sending money, disconnection of all mobile numbers by Department of Telecommunications etc. Chakshu is the latest addition to the facilities already available on the Sanchar Saathi portal of DoT.

Telecom Secretary, Neeraj Mittal, emphasized the significance of these two new portals in safeguarding citizens’ digital assets and curbing fraudulent means and misuse of communications systems. He highlighted their role in enhancing cybersecurity measures and protecting individuals from various cyber threats.

The Ministry said citizens who fall victim to cyber-crime or financial fraud are encouraged to report incidents through the cyber-crime helpline number 1930 or the Government of India’s cybercrime website (cybercrime.gov.in).

Also Read: Sanchar Saathi Portal Launched by Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw

Sanchar Saathi portal

The Sanchar Saathi portal (sancharsaathi.gov.in) already offers several facilities to users. These include the ability to check mobile connections issued in their name and report any unnecessary or unauthorized connections for disconnection. Users can also report stolen or lost mobile handsets for blocking and tracing purposes.

Additionally, the portal allows users to verify the authenticity of mobile handsets when purchasing new or old devices. It also enables users to report incoming international calls with Indian telephone numbers as caller identification and provides details of licensed wireline Internet Service Providers.

Outcomes of DoT’s Initiatives

DoT said a total of 59 lakh fraudulent connections were disconnected, 1.5 lakh handsets were blocked for involvement in cybercrimes, 14 lakh handsets were blocked based on user requests, and 7 lakh handsets were traced, with information given to state governments, resulting in 1,000 crore Indian citizens’ money saved as some of the outcomes of its various initiatives.

The Ministry of Communications said the launch of these initiatives underscores the Government’s commitment to ensuring a safer digital environment for all citizens and strengthening efforts to combat cyber fraud and the misuse of telecom resources.

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