WhatsApp Crackdown: 34,951 Accounts and 73,789 Groups Banned by Telecom Dept

The Chakshu, a key component of the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) Sanchar Saathi portal, has taken robust action against fraudulent communications. The portal’s latest details revealed that 34,951 WhatsApp accounts were blocked and 73,789 groups and communities were banned for involvement in suspicious activities.

Additionally, 43,956 WhatsApp accounts were reported by citizens for fraudulent or malicious communication, contributing to a total of 1,80,781 reported cases across all platforms.

The crackdown extended to other communication channels as well. A staggering 1,34,019 actions were taken against fraudulent calls and SMS originating from 10-digit mobile numbers. Andhra Pradesh topped the list with 22,132 such cases, followed by Uttar Pradesh (East) with 13,264 and Uttar Pradesh (West) with 11,241. Major regions like Delhi (9,175) and Kolkata (9,995) also reported high numbers.

Comprehensive Actions Against Fraud

The Chakshu initiative, designed to curb cybercrime and financial fraud in telecommunications, has led to a total of 3,80,453 actions being taken.

This includes the blocking of 2,871 mobile handsets, blacklisting of 186 principal entities, and the disengagement of 280 WhatsApp communities. Furthermore, 2,993 SMS headers and 1,31,364 SMS templates were blacklisted for being associated with fraudulent schemes.

The scale of the issue is underscored by the reported figures:

Fraudulent calls and SMS from 10-digit numbers: 1,32,489 (Delhi leading with 14,967 cases).
Fraudulent SMS reported from headers: 4,336.

Expanded Categories for Fraud Reporting

The categories under which a person can submit a complaint include:

KYC and Payment related to Bank / Electricity / Gas / Insurance etc
Impersonation as Police, CBI, Customs, Assdhaar, RBI etc
Fake customer care helpline
Online Job/lottery/gifts/loan offers
Sextortion; 6. IVR/Robo calls
Malicious link/ website
Investmnet,stockmarket, Trading
Impersonation as DoT/TRAI
Impersonation as a relative/ friend
Any other suspected fraud.

To empower citizens further, the Chakshu facility has added new categories under which fraud can be reported. These include: Investment, stock market, and trading frauds; Digital Arrests (Impersonation as Police, CBI, Customs, Assdhaar, RBI etc); and Impersonation as DoT/TRAI and other Government officials.

Chakshu is a citizen-centric initiative aimed at tackling unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) and fraud via calls, SMS, or WhatsApp. It operates under the TRAI’s TCCCPR, 2018, ensuring actions against violations based on user complaints and reports.

This large-scale operation underscores the government’s commitment to protecting citizens from telecom-based fraud, with Chakshu playing a critical role in identifying and acting against malicious entities. The growing focus on emerging fraud trends, particularly in digital and financial sectors, indicates a proactive approach to safeguarding users in an increasingly digital world.