New initiatives launched to combat spam and cyber fraud in India

NEW DELHI: Authorities and telecom companies are collaborating to address spam and unsolicited commercial communication, ToI reported on September 30. The Department of Telecom (DoT), regulator Trai, and private telecom operators are setting up new measures to combat these issues, which are linked to cyber fraud and phishing attacks, said the report (by Pankaj Doval).

Trai and DoT have been targeting spammers and blocking suspicious numbers. They have also been meeting with telecom company representatives to discuss vigilance and establish new rules to curb unwanted activities.

Airtel has launched an AI-driven tool to detect spam and alert customers. Vodafone Idea is using blockchain technology to implement an SMS spam control system.


According to Trai and DoT, over one crore fraudulent mobile connections have been cut off, and 2.27 lakh mobile handsets have been blocked for their involvement in cybercrime and financial frauds.

In August, Trai urged mobile operators to disconnect telecom resources used for bulk spam calls and stated that such entities could be blacklisted for up to two years. Additionally, from October 1, telecom companies must check SMS transmission containing non-whitelisted web links, a step aimed at reducing the misuse of SMS headers and templates.

From November 1, Trai requires all telecom operators to ensure traceability of messages from sender to receiver.

Airtel's CEO Gopal Vittal said, "Spam has become a menace for customers. We have spent the last 12 months to solve this comprehensively… (and) shield our customers from the continuous onslaught of intrusive and unwanted communications."

Vodafone Idea announced a URL whitelisting platform set to launch soon, stating, "Vi plays an active role along with TRAI, COAI, and other telecom operators to enforce the Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) regulations, aiming to significantly reduce spam calls from unregistered telemarketers."