The government has alerted the public about a cyber fraud scheme where scammers are using fake notices purportedly from “Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)” and “Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)” to warn phone users of potential SIM card blockage. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has clarified that these notices are fraudulent and advised people to be cautious and not disclose personal information to scammers who could engage in digital fraud. The fake notices, appearing on BSNL notepads, instruct customers to contact a KYC Verification Executive and provide their contact details.
The deceptive message in these notices states, “Dear Customer, Your SIM KYC has been suspended by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Your Sim card will be blocked within 24 hours. Call Immediately.” The PIB Factcheck emphasized that BSNL has not issued any communication related to SIM KYC and urged individuals not to share personal or financial details with anyone. In a separate development, the Union Home Ministry informed the Lok Sabha that a total of 86,420 cybercrime cases were reported in 2023.
Referring to data from the ‘Crime in India’ report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar disclosed that 65,893 cybercrime cases were registered in 2022, while 52,974 cases were recorded in 2021. The ministry has allocated Rs 116.5 crore under the ‘Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC)’ Scheme to assist states and Union Territories in establishing cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories. Presently, such laboratories are operational in 33 states/UTs, including Madhya Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Maharashtra.
MoS Sanjay Kumar highlighted that the country has seven Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CFSLs) and 27 State Forensic Science Laboratories to aid in cybercrime investigations. He noted that before 2014, digital forensics facilities were available in four CFSLs located in Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Kolkata. Subsequently, three new CFSLs with Digital Forensic Divisions have been established in Pune, Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), and Kamrup (Assam).
