Good lord! Is that another spam call? Here's why scammers keep getting through to you

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India expected to update update regulations controlling spam calls within the next few weeks amid an increasing barrage of scams and misleading interactions. Recent estimates suggest that Indian SIM card holders receive several billion spam calls every months — spread across hundreds of locations.

“Spammers register with international, cloud-based VoIP (IP calling) services that lie outside India’s legal jurisdiction. These services, along with their physical infrastructure, are often based in regions with lax regulatory oversight. As a result, they are not bound by Indian KYC norms or the TCCCPR regulations designed to combat spam,” explains a blog post by telecom and IT expert Parag Kar.

The former Qualcomm executive explains that these fraudulent calls mostly originate in India before being routed through an ‘international gateway switch’. They subsequently appear on your phone as a standard incoming international call. Having passed through a foreign provider they also don't fall completely under Indian jurisdiction any more. And with no means to verify the true identity of the caller, spammers can continue to operate with near impunity.

According to the expert, some countries have now begun implementing an industry framework called STIR/SHAKEN to curb caller ID spoofing.

“Under this system, when a call is placed, the originating service provider attaches a digitally signed token—essentially a secure “certificate of authenticity”—to the call’s signaling data. The terminating provider uses a public key infrastructure (PKI) to validate this token. If the signature checks out, the call can be presented to the user as verified; if not, it’s flagged as unverified, informing the recipient that the caller’s identity could not be confirmed,” Kar adds.

The verification process does not stop the calls from coming, but can provide some vital context and amplify user confidence. The framework however requires IP-based (SIP) signaling inherent to 4G and 5G network.

(With inputs from agencies)