New Delhi: The Sanchar Saathi portal has crossed 30 crore visits since its launch in May 2023, with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) saying citizen participation has helped strengthen efforts to combat telecom-related fraud.
The portal provides services to report suspicious calls and messages, check mobile connections issued in a person’s name, block lost or stolen handsets and verify the authenticity of mobile phones through IMEI numbers.
According to the DoT, 60.96 lakh lost or stolen handsets have been blocked, 37.85 lakh traced and more than 14 lakh recovered. More than four crore requests from citizens to check and report mobile connections in their names have also been resolved.
Through the Chakshu facility, 12.80 lakh inputs on suspected fraudulent communications have been received, leading to action in 59.82 lakh cases, including the disconnection of more than 50 lakh mobile connections.
Citizen-generated information also feeds into the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), which provides risk intelligence on mobile numbers potentially linked to financial fraud. The DoT said the mechanism has helped prevent suspected cyber-fraud losses of more than ₹5,000 crore.
The Sanchar Saathi ecosystem is connected to more than 1,600 stakeholders through the Digital Intelligence Platform, enabling coordination among telecom operators, banks, payment service providers and law enforcement agencies.
The Sanchar Saathi mobile app is available in English, Hindi and 21 regional languages. Its downloads have crossed 2.8 crore.
The DoT urged citizens to report suspicious calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages through the portal or app. Those who have lost money to cybercrime can report it through helpline 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.