New Delhi: The government on Tuesday announced a new spam-tracking system to identify and block incoming international calls posing as Indian phone numbers.

The system was made operational and within 24 hours of operation, about 1.35 crore or 90 per cent from all the incoming international calls with Indian phone numbers were identified as spoofed calls and blocked by telecom service providers (TSPs) from reaching Indian telecom subscribers.

Launching the ‘International Incoming Spoofed Calls Prevention System’, Union Minister of Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, said this is another government effort towards building a safe digital space and protecting citizens from cyber-crime.

Indian telecom subscribers should see a significant reduction in such spoofed calls with +91 numbers with implementation of this system. Cyber criminals have been committing crimes by making international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers (+91). These calls appear to be originating within India but are actually being made from abroad by manipulating the calling line identity (CLI) or commonly known as phone number. These spoofed calls have been used for financial scams, impersonating government officials and creating panic.

There have also been cases of cyber-crime threatening disconnection of mobile numbers by DoT/TRAI officials, fake digital arrests, drugs/narcotics in courier, impersonation as police officials, arrest in sex racket etc. The Department of Communications (DoT) and TSPs have collaborated and devised a system to identify and block such incoming international spoofed calls from reaching the Indian telecom subscribers.

“Despite such best efforts, there could be cases where fraudsters succeed through other means. For such calls, you can help by reporting such suspected fraud communications at Chakshu facility on Sanchar Saathi,” said the government. This is another step by DoT to protect citizens from cyber frauds as the system identifies and blocks the incoming international calls. (IANS)