Cybercrime clampdown: 1.8 mn mobile connections likely to be disconnected

New Delhi: In a groundbreaking nationwide operation to tackle cybercrime and online fraud, officials anticipate that telecom providers will sever an unprecedented 1.8 million or more mobile connections simultaneously, as reported by The Economic Times.

This move is the result of extensive investigations by various law enforcement agencies to pinpoint instances of financial fraud and cybercrime that exploit mobile networks.

An informant revealed that during these investigations, it was often found that a single handset was associated with thousands of mobile connections.

On May 9, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) instructed telecom companies to deactivate 28,220 mobile phones and re-examine over two million mobile connections that were misused in conjunction with these phones.

The official stated: “In such scenarios, typically only 10 percent of the connections pass the verification process, and the remaining are disconnected due to failed re-verification.”

This action aligns with the steady rise in the number of cybercrimes involving mobile phones in the country.

In 2023, digital financial theft victims suffered losses amounting to Rs 10,319 crore, as per the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP). A parliamentary standing committee on finance report revealed that over 694,000 complaints were lodged in 2023.

To evade detection by telecom companies and law enforcement, fraudsters typically use SIM cards from different telecom circles and frequently change the SIM and phone combinations, officials explained.

A second official illustrated: “For example, a SIM from the Odisha or Assam circle could be used in Delhi NCR. Fraudsters make only a few outgoing calls to avoid detection by telecom systems, then change the SIM.”

Approximately 200,000 SIM cards were deactivated by service providers last year during a previous investigation into their potential involvement in cybercrimes. In another instance, over 37,000 SIM cards were disconnected following investigations in Mewat, Haryana.

The government advocates for telecom companies to be more proactive in detecting SIM usage patterns, particularly for SIMs purchased outside of one’s home circle, to effectively counter the threat of cybercrime.

The second official mentioned: “Telecom companies can immediately detect when a person moves to a different circle through their roaming detection system.”

Likewise, telecom companies are well-equipped to detect when thousands of SIM cards are used with a single handset. The official added: “Proactive measures by telecom companies can be instrumental in fighting online fraud.”

Indeed, telecom providers are obligated to alert any suspicious users and establish a fraud monitoring and prevention system within their networks.

As part of the unified licence, telecom companies must scrutinise data for outgoing calls made by consumers, especially when subscribers make numerous outgoing calls to various phone numbers throughout the day and night. agencies