Curb on fake calls and SMS: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed a new plan (TRAI New Plan) to curb fake calls and SMS. According to the consultation paper issued by TRAI, SIM cards from which more than 50 calls or SMS are made in a day will be brought under investigation. This step is especially against those 10-digit personal numbers, which are used for telemarketing and harassing consumers. This initiative aims to curb harassing scammers by blocking SIM cards and sending fake calls and messages.
The step towards different tariff plan
Currently, telecom companies provide tariff plans for unlimited calls and SMS. TRAI believes that implementing different tariff plans for calls and messages will make it easier to identify cases of fake calls and messages. TRAI plans that this change will help in identifying unregistered 10-digit numbers that are being used to send commercial calls and messages.
Identification and blocking of SIM cards
According to a recently released report, between January and March 2024, 14 lakh SIM cards have been identified which send 50 to 1000 calls and messages daily. TRAI estimates that these SIM cards can be the main source of fake calls and messages. Additionally, about 4 lakh SIM cards have been identified which send more than 50 messages daily. In the last calendar year 2022-23, telecom companies blocked about 59,000 mobile numbers, but still, the scammers continued their work by purchasing new SIM cards.
TRAI report and future plans
According to the TRAI report, telecom operators are providing unlimited calls and daily 100 SMS packs, which are being taken advantage of by scammers. In such a situation, TRAI has identified 78,703 mobile numbers, from which more than 100 voice calls are made daily. These numbers are only 0.01 per cent of the total subscriber number, but considering the trouble caused by them, TRAI has planned to block them.
Under this new scheme, TRAI aims to stop fake calls and messages and keep consumers safe.