Telecom department blocks more than 1,500 numbers linked to cyber threats

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has adopted a proactive approach by suo motu blocking both overseas and local phone numbers linked to cybercrimes and threats, according to a report by The Economic Times. Over the last few days, more than 1,500 callers, including international numbers, have been blocked by the government based on complaints regarding such calls. The action was taken without waiting for approvals from intelligence agencies in response to the rising cases of fraud and threats committed through these numbers.

Among the blocked callers is designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who had made threats against the BSE, NSE, Air India, and the Indian Parliament. Upon becoming aware of these threats, the DoT promptly blocked the numbers associated with Pannun's calls after verification from telecom operators and international gateways.

The government's blocking of such callers aims to prevent the misuse of telecom resources, especially with a surge in financial frauds committed through international numbers. The report added that fraudsters have also been found to exploit apps offering international numbers with eSIMs without proper documentation.

Last week, the DoT directed Google, Apple, telecom operators, and internet service providers to block two eSIM apps—Airalo and Holafly. These apps, found to be used by fraudsters for cybercrimes, were removed from platforms.

To combat cyber crimes through telecom, the government requires mandatory verification of SIM card dealers, discontinuation of bulk connections, and registration requirements for franchisees, point-of-sale agents, and distributors.

The DoT also issued a warning to the public about malicious calls from international numbers spreading false information about Indian stock exchanges.

In a post on X, the department wrote, "The recorded message urges them to sell Indian stocks before March 12, claiming impending destruction of BSE and NSE... Citizens, on receiving such calls, are advised to report to DoT at help-sancharsaathi@gov.in or their telecom service providers."