Insurance companies must switch to 1600-series numbers by Feb 15: Trai

MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has asked all insurance companies to adopt special 1600-series telephone numbers by February 15, to help protect consumers from fraud calls.

All entities regulated by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India must use the designated numbering series for customer service and transaction-related calls, Trai said in a direction issued on Tuesday. The deadline was set in consultation with the insurance regulator.

The 1600 series, assigned by the Department of Telecommunications specifically for banking, financial services and insurance sector entities and government organisations, will help citizens identify legitimate calls from regulated financial institutions, Trai said in a news release. This distinguishes them from standard 10-digit numbers that fraudsters often use to impersonate trusted institutions.


Trai had previously issued similar mandates for entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India and the pension fund regulator.