The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, has issued an urgent advisory to citizens regarding fraudulent callers impersonating government officials.
According to the advisory, some citizens have been receiving calls where the callers, falsely claiming to represent the DoT, are threatening to disconnect mobile numbers or accusing the recipients of involvement in illegal activities.
The DoT has also cautioned against WhatsApp calls originating from foreign mobile numbers, such as those with the +92 country code for Pakistan, where the callers are posing as government authorities and attempting to dupe people.
Cyber criminals are using these deceptive tactics to threaten and steal personal information from unsuspecting victims, facilitating cyber crimes and financial fraud. The DoT has clearly stated that it does not authorize anyone to make such calls on its behalf.
The advisory urges citizens to remain vigilant and refrain from sharing any information if they receive such suspicious calls. Instead, the DoT advises reporting these fraud communications through the ‘Chakshu-Report Suspected Fraud Communications’ facility on the Sanchar Saathi portal (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in). Proactive reporting of such incidents will aid the DoT in preventing the misuse of telecom resources for cyber crimes and financial fraud.
Additionally, citizens can verify the mobile connections registered in their name using the ‘Know Your Mobile Connections’ feature on the Sanchar Saathi portal (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in) and report any unauthorized or unnecessary connections. In the event that an individual has already fallen victim to cyber crime or financial fraud, the DoT recommends reporting the incident to the cyber crime helpline at 1930 or the website www.cybercrime.gov.in.
The DoT’s advisory underscores the importance of staying alert and taking necessary precautions to protect personal information from fraudulent activities perpetrated through telecommunications channels.
