Mumbai: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has reported fraudulent WhatsApp messages, SMS and voice calls are made to the citizen claiming to be from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Perpetrators are utilizing forged notices, designed to resemble official communication from senior officers of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). These notices falsely allege illegal activity associated with the recipient's mobile number and pressure them into contacting law enforcement or face service termination. Citizens are also threatened that mobile numbers will be disconnected if they don’t respond. At times, malicious actors may further attempt to trick individuals into installing malware or clicking on phishing links.

TRAI further stated that they do not initiate communication regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or official notices. Also they have not authorized any third-party agency to contact customers for such purposes. Therefore, any form of communication (call, message, or notice) claiming to be from TRAI and threatening mobile number disconnection should be considered a potential fraudulent attempt.

In order to prevent the misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial fraud, TRAI has encouraged citizens to report suspected fraudulent communications through the Chakshu facility on the Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi platform. This platform can be accessed at https: // sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/.