DoT identifies 6.80 lakh mobile connections as fake

Department of Telecommunications has identified approximately 6.80 lakh mobile connections as fake and invalid. The department has directed the operators to carry out immediate re-verification of these identified mobile numbers. All Telecommunications Service Providers are mandated to re-verify the flagged connections within 60 days. It said, failure to complete re-verification will result in the disconnection of the concerned mobile numbers."DoT has identified approximately 6.80 lakh mobile connections suspected to have been obtained using invalid, non-existent, or fake and forged Proof of Identity (PoI) and Proof of Address (PoA) KYC documents," the statement said.
The collaboration between various sectors and the utilization of AI technology has been pivotal in identifying these fraudulent connections, demonstrating the effectiveness of integrated digital platforms in combating identity fraud, the DoT said.It has asked for the re-verification to ensure the integrity of mobile connections and the security of digital transactions.In April, DoT flagged 10,834 suspected mobile numbers for re-verification. Of these, 8,272 mobile connections were disconnected failing re-verification.