Department of Telecommunications:​​​​​​​ How did you get help from the Chakshu Portal?

DoT has started shutting down mobile phones used in fraudulent activities and deactivating the SIM cards associated with them. This will help the government department to protect mobile users from fraudsters. 

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has started shutting down mobile phones used in fraudulent activities and deactivating the SIM cards associated with them. This will help the government department to protect mobile users from fraudsters. This step has been taken under DoT's 'Chakshu' portal, which was launched two months ago to address complaints related to telecom fraud.

How did you get help from the Chakshu Portal?

According to a PTI report, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has blacklisted 52 entities sending fraudulent and phishing SMS. Besides, 348 mobile phones have also been switched off across the country. Apart from this, the department has identified 10,834 suspicious mobile numbers which will be re-verified. By taking these steps, the Department of Telecommunications is trying to protect mobile users from fraudsters.

Action taken on the complaint on X

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) responded to a post on SMS fraud shared by a technology professional on social media platform X. The department responded by saying that they have blocked the mobile number mentioned in the post as well as all the mobile phones associated with it.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) took immediate action on the SMS fraud that happened on social media. The department replied that they had blocked the mobile number related to that complaint and 20 other phone numbers linked to it. DoT said that if you also become a victim of such fraud, then immediately go to the 'Chakshu' portal and lodge a complaint. 

Citing sources, TOI said that DoT has so far blocked more than 700 SMS templates that were used for fraud. The department has identified 10,834 suspicious mobile numbers which will be re-verified by April 30, 2024. At the same time, 8,272 mobile numbers have been blocked due to failure in verification.

DoT has not only blocked mobile numbers and handsets but has also blocked more than 1.58 lakh unique mobile identity numbers (IMEI) which were being used in cyber crimes and frauds. Besides, the department has also closed those SIM cards which were taken based on fake documents.