TRAI warns citizens of fraudulent calls impersonating telecom regulator

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued an advisory warning citizens of fraudulent calls claiming to be from TRAI. Scammers are using pre-recorded messages to threaten individuals, stating their mobile numbers will be blocked soon, and asking for personal information.

TRAI clarified that it does not initiate communication with customers regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or otherwise. The regulator has not authorized any third-party agency to contact customers for such purposes.

“It has been brought to the notice of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that a lot of pre-recorded calls are being made to the citizens claiming to be from TRAI. Citizens are being threatened that their numbers will be blocked soon, and they are asked to give certain personal information by fraudsters,” read the advisory.

Be cautious of fraudulent calls in the name of TRAI, asking for number verification or claiming your line will be disconnected. Immediately report such fraudulent calls to 1930. #CyberCrimes #DigitalScams #TRAI pic.twitter.com/kWp0zB9Toj

— Consumer Affairs (@jagograhakjago) August 4, 2024

In an advisory put out on Wednesday by the telecom regulator, TRAI said it does not initiate communication with customers regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or otherwise. “Therefore, any form of communication (call, message, or notice) claiming to be from TRAI and threatening mobile number disconnection should be considered a potential fraudulent attempt and must not be entertained”, it said.

The disconnection of any mobile number due to billing, KYC, or misuse if any, is done by the respective Telecom Service Provider (TSP), TRAI cautioned. Citizens are advised to be vigilant and not panic about falling prey to suspected fraudsters. People are further advised to cross-verify such calls by contacting the authorized call centres or customer service centres of the respective telecom operators.

To prevent the misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial fraud, citizens are encouraged to report suspected fraudulent communications through the Chakshu facility on the Department of Telecommunications’ Sanchar Saathi platform.

This platform can be accessed at https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/. For confirmed instances of cybercrime, victims should report the incident at the designated cybercrime helpline number ‘1930’ or through the official website at https://cybercrime.gov.in/. (ANI)