The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has disconnected and blacklisted more than 2.1 million mobile phone numbers, along with nearly 100,000 entities involved in spam and fraudulent communications, over the past year.
The action follows citizen complaints filed through the Trai Do Not Disturb (DND) app.
The regulator has urged users to actively report spam calls and messages through the dedicated platform rather than simply blocking numbers on personal devices. Trai cautioned that blocking prevents the number from contacting only an individual user, but does nothing to stop the scammer from continuing to target others through newly procured numbers.
What did the regulator say?
“When a user reports a spam call or SMS on the Trai DND app, it allows Trai and telecom service providers to trace, verify, and permanently disconnect the mobile numbers,” it said.
TRAI also urged users to refrain from sharing personal or financial details over phone or messaging platforms, to immediately disconnect suspicious or threatening calls, and to report cyber fraud through the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or the cybercrime.gov.in portal.
Can telecom fraud attempts be flagged in any other way?
Attempts of telecom-based fraud can additionally be flagged through the “Chakshu” feature on the government’s Sanchar Saathi platform.