TRAI implements strict measures to combat spam calls in India

In a significant move to combat India’s growing problem of spam calls in India and phishing calls, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has directed all telecommunications service providers to immediately stop promotional calls from unregistered numbers and place such callers in a blacklist for up to two years. Issued on Tuesday, this directive is part of TRAI’s aggressive campaign to remove the unwelcome messages which have irritated millions of consumers across the nation.

The rise of spam calls over the past years has been a nuisance, but it also facilitated an increase in phishing schemes whereby criminals pose as legitimate businesses. In a usual modus operandi, the fraudsters pose themselves as officials of reputed courier companies such as FedEx and Blue Dart, seeking sensitive financial details from unwary individuals by inviting them to click on the phishing links that purportedly facilitate the solution to their problems relating to apparently lost parcels.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation and the financial danger it might put the public in, the most recent steps by TRAI are aimed at gaining more control over the use of telecom resources for promotional purposes. As per the latest TRAI norm, “All promotional voice calls from unregistered senders/unregistered telemarketers using Telecom Resources shall be stopped immediately”. The strict attitude is intended to block a critical conduit to approach potential victims for scammers.

Besides, the penalty for non-compliance by these unregistered entities is severe. A blacklist shall be maintained against people found to be making unauthorized calls for up to two years, effectively shutting them out from using any telecom resource to carry out its activities. This is expected to work as a stringent deterrent against the misuse of the telecom services for fraudulent activities.

Penalties for Spam Calls in India: Blacklisting and Severe Consequences

Further stringent monitoring and enforcement are assured by the TRAI when it collects reports bimonthly from all telecom service providers. These reports, filed on the 1st and 16th of every month, would have to specify what kind of penalties have been meted out on the scam callers, thus making it imperative for the service providers to be responsible for regulation enforcement.

The measure was taken after millions of complaints were heard from customers who were incessantly harassed by these calls, with most of them losing a lot of money in the process. The strictest of these regulations will bring back confidence among consumers for the telecom services sector, and they will protect the public from scams that threaten financial and personal security.

TRAI is taking a proactive strategy to truly reflect their commitment toward consumer interest protection and the improvement of India’s telecom ecosystem security. The authority is of the opinion that with these new recommendations, it will bring spam calls to a minimum and at the same time improve the regulatory framework necessary to develop a safer and more secure telecom environment for all customers.

Consumer rights bodies and members of the general public have highly hailed this decision taken by TRAI after prolonged campaigns regarding greater measures in fighting spam and communications fraud. With such restrictions taking effect, it is hoped that a significant reduction in unwanted calls would reach consumers and, by that effect, therefore reduce the risk of them falling victim to fraud in telecom.

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