TRAI issues advisory regarding fraudulent calls impersonating telecom regulator

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday issued an advisory warning citizens of fraudulent calls claiming to be from the telecom regulator.

The telecom regulator said scammers are using pre-recorded messages to threaten individuals, stating their mobile numbers will be blocked soon, and asking for certain personal information.

"It has been brought to the notice of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that a lot of pre-recorded calls are being made to the citizens claiming to be from TRAI. Citizens are being threatened that their numbers will be blocked soon, and they are asked to give certain personal information by fraudsters," the TRAI advisory read.

The telecom regulator said neither that it has not initiate communication with customers regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or otherwise, nor it has authorized any third-party agency to contact customers for such purposes.

“Therefore, any form of communication (call, message or notice) claiming to be from TRAI and threatening mobile number disconnection should be considered a potential fraudulent attempt and must not be entertained,” the advisory added.

The disconnection of any mobile number due to billing, KYC or misuse if any, is done by the respective Telecom Service Provider (TSP), the regulator added.

Citizens are advised to be vigilant and do not get panicked to fall prey to suspected fraudsters. People are further advised to cross-verify such calls by contacting the authorized call centers or customer service centers of the respective TSP.

To prevent the misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial fraud, citizens are encouraged to report suspected fraudulent communications through the Chakshu facility on the Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi platform.

For confirmed instances of cybercrime, victims should report the incident at the designated cybercrime helpline number '1930' or through the official website at cybercrime.gov.in, the telecom regulator said.