SRINAGAR: Mobile subscribers whose SIM cards are obtained or used through fraud, impersonation or tampering can face legal consequences under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, the Union government told the Lok Sabha, even as it stopped short of providing any national data on cases registered or penalties imposed, citing the division of powers between the Centre and the States.
Replying to an unstarred question, Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar confirmed that obtaining subscriber identity modules or other telecom identifiers through fraud or cheating is a punishable offence under Section 42 of the new law. However, the government said policing and public order fall under the State List, effectively shifting responsibility for investigation, prosecution and disclosure of case details to State authorities. The absence of consolidated data at the national level raises concerns over transparency and uniform enforcement of the law.
The ministry also said it has put in place legal provisions to deal with tampered International Mobile Equipment Identity numbers and illegal SIM boxes, which are commonly used in large scale cyber frauds and spoofing operations. Tampering with telecom identifiers and knowingly possessing or using equipment configured with unauthorised or altered identifiers have been made offences under multiple clauses of the Telecommunications Act, 2023. In addition, the Telecom Cyber Security Rules prohibit altering or trafficking in hardware or software linked to compromised telecom identifiers.
On subscriber verification, the government said the Department of Telecommunications has mandated telecom service providers, through licence conditions, to carry out adequate verification of every customer before issuing a SIM card. This reiterates long standing know your customer norms, but the reply does not indicate whether compliance audits or penalties for lapses have increased in light of rising cyber fraud.
The government placed significant emphasis on citizen awareness and preventive mechanisms. It said the Sanchar Saathi portal and mobile application have been developed to allow users to verify the genuineness of their handsets through IMEI checks, report suspected misuse of telecom resources and flag fraudulent communications. According to the ministry, awareness campaigns under the Sanchar Saathi initiative include explainer videos, infographics, multilingual news articles, advertisements, television and radio messages, public hoardings and SMS campaigns in coordination with telecom operators.
To expand outreach, the Department of Telecommunications has also launched the Sanchar Mitra scheme, engaging student volunteers to educate citizens on digital safety, fraud prevention and the use of official reporting platforms, particularly at the grassroots level and in local languages.
