In a move to curb cyber-enabled financial fraud, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has welcomed the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) advisory issued on June 30, 2025, directing all Scheduled Commercial Banks, Small Finance Banks, Payments Banks, and Co-operative Banks to integrate the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) into their systems. Developed by DoT's Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU), the FRI is a risk assessment tool designed to enhance real-time fraud detection across India's digital financial infrastructure.
Also Read: DoT Launches Financial Fraud Risk Indicator to Curb Cybercrime in Digital Payments
RBI Advisory Mandates FRI Integration
"This is a watershed moment in the fight against cyber-enabled financial frauds and a testament to the power of inter-agency collaboration in safeguarding citizens in India's growing digital economy," the Ministry of Communications said on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
Launched in May 2025, the FRI classifies mobile numbers into Medium, High, or Very High risk categories based on their association with reported financial frauds. The classification leverages data from the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), citizen reports via DoT's Chakshu platform, and intelligence provided by banks and financial institutions. The tool aims to empower financial stakeholders to take swift, targeted action to prevent fraud.
Major Banks Already Using FRI
Banks and financial institutions can integrate the FRI via API-based systems to access real-time risk scores for mobile numbers. This enables them to implement preventive measures such as declining high-risk transactions, alerting customers, or applying enhanced verification protocols. Several major financial entities, including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank, PhonePe, Paytm, and India Post Payments Bank, are already leveraging the FRI system to fortify their fraud detection capabilities, according to the Ministry.
In addition to real-time alerts, the DIU regularly shares a Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL) with partner institutions. This list includes numbers disconnected due to confirmed links to cybercrime, failed re-verification, or misuse—many of which have been found to be involved in financial fraud.
Also Read: Government Launches New Initiatives to Combat Cyber Fraud and Misuse of Telecom Resources
FRI as a Sector-Wide Standard
The FRI system exemplifies inter-agency collaboration, combining telecom data with financial intelligence to bolster India's defenses against rising cyber threats.
"With UPI being the most preferred payment method across India, this intervention could save millions of citizens from falling prey to cyber fraud. The FRI allows for swift, targeted, and collaborative action against suspected frauds in both telecom and financial domains," the Ministry added.
The DoT reiterated its commitment to supporting RBI-regulated entities in combating financial fraud through technology-led, nationally coordinated solutions.
"As more institutions adopt FRI into their customer-facing systems, it is expected to evolve into a sector-wide standard, reinforcing trust, enabling real-time decision-making, and delivering greater systemic resilience across India's digital financial architecture," the official release from the Communications Ministry said.
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