New Delhi, 22 December (H.S.): The central government's stringent measures and reforms against cybercrime averted ₹660 crore in fraudulent activities over the past six months, with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) crediting its Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) and Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) for the success, involving over 1,000 banks, financial institutions, and third-party app providers alongside public participation via the Sanchar Saarthi platform.

DoT explained that FRI categorizes suspicious mobile numbers by risk level, enabling banks and payment service providers to implement enhanced security protocols; public and private banks, cooperatives, and others have rejected or flagged numerous high-risk transactions, preventing substantial financial losses.

Awareness Drives, Citizen Reporting Bolster DefensesThe department conducted 16 awareness sessions to educate citizens, while the Sanchar Saarthi portal and mobile app facilitate reporting of dubious calls, fraudulent connections, and lost/stolen handsets. Vigilant users now identify and disconnect scam calls promptly, with the app enabling pattern detection for authorities and telcos to block numbers, deactivate fakes, and curb perpetrators.

DoT appealed to all citizens to leverage the Sanchar Saarthi web portal and app, reaffirming commitment to a secure digital payments ecosystem through collaboration with RBI, NPCI, SEBI, PFRDA, banks, financial entities, and public involvement essential for safeguarding India's burgeoning digital economy.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar