Telcos may disconnect record 1.8 mn mobile connections to combat cybercrime: Report

Telecom providers are required to notify any suspicious users and implement a fraud monitoring and prevention system in their networks.

As part of the government's first nationwide operation to combat cybercrime and online fraud, telecom providers are expected to disconnect a record 1.8 million or more mobile connections at once, according to officials, The Economic Times reported.

The development follows a thorough investigation by a number of law enforcement agencies to identify instances of financial fraud and cybercrime involving the exploitation of mobile networks.

According to an individual with access to the information, it was discovered during investigations that a single handset was used with thousands of mobile connections in many instances, the report said.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) requested on May 9 that telcos deactivated 28,220 mobile phones and rechecked more than two million mobile connections that were misused with these phones.

"We have found that in such cases, typically only 10 percent of the connections get verified and the rest get disconnected, failing re-verification," the official said.

This development coincides with a consistent increase in the number of cybercrimes involving mobile phones in the nation.

In 2023, victims of digital financial theft lost Rs 10,319 crore, according to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP). A study by the parliamentary standing committee on finance states that in 2023, there were over 694,000 complaints filed.

In order to avoid detection by telecom companies and law enforcement authorities, fraudsters usually utilise SIM cards from other telecom circles and often switch the SIM and phone combinations, according to officials.

“For instance, an Odisha or Assam circle SIM could be used in Delhi NCR,” a second official said. “To avoid the radar, fraudsters make only a few outgoing calls and then change the SIM as too many outgoing calls from the same number would get detected by telco systems,” the official told ET.

Earlier Probe

About 200,000 SIM cards were deactivated by carriers last year as part of an earlier probe into their suspected participation in cybercrimes. Another case involved the disconnection of over 37,000 SIM cards after the authorities conducted investigations in Mewat, Haryana.

Also read: Govt blocks 1.4 lakh mobile numbers linked to financial frauds

'Telcos should be more vigilant'

The government believes that telcos should be more vigilant in identifying SIM usage patterns, especially for those SIMs purchased outside of one's home, in order to successfully combat the threat of cybercrime.

“As part of their roaming detection system, telcos can instantly capture when a person moves out to a different circle,” the second official said.

Similarly, when thousands of SIM cards are used with a single handset, telcos are largely furnished to detect it. “If telcos take proactive measures at their end, it can be helpful in combating online fraud,” the official said.

In fact, telecom providers are required to notify any suspicious users and implement a fraud monitoring and prevention system in their networks.

Data for outgoing calls made by consumers must be examined as part of the unified licence, particularly in the event that subscribers make several outgoing calls to different phone lines day and night.

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