The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has taken significant action to curb the issue of fake calls and messages, leaving scammers on edge due to these continuous efforts. Last year, the government and the telecom regulator urged telecom companies to implement an Artificial Intelligence-based system to tackle fraudulent calls originating from abroad. To support this initiative, TRAI issued specific guidelines. Thanks to the collaboration between telecom operators and the DoT, over 20 aggregators and shady call agencies have been blacklisted.
Notable drop in fake calls
According to a statement from the DoT, there has been a remarkable reduction in calls from foreign numbers. Previous figures showed crores of fake calls daily, but that number has now plummeted to around 4 lakh. With the combined efforts of the government and telecom companies, an Indian-developed Spoof Call Prevention System was rolled out to identify and block these fraudulent international calls. As a result, around 90 percent of fake international calls reaching the country have been successfully intercepted, amounting to a staggering 1.34 crore in just a single day.
Identifying fraudulent international numbers
Scammers have typically masked their calls, making them appear as local numbers when originating from abroad. The new system has effectively identified and blocked these deceptive calls, allowing users to see the actual international numbers instead. Cyber criminals often exploit internet-based tools to ensnare unsuspecting users, and this change aims to combat that tactic.
The DoT has mandated that telecom operators clearly display any calls coming from overseas as international numbers. Additionally, the AI tools developed by telecom giants like Airtel and BSNL have been instrumental in blacklisting over 20 fraudulent aggregators and carriers. Reports of fake calls have also been logged through the Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi portal and app.
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