Sanchar Saathi Mobile App Helps Crack Down on Cyber Offenders

New Delhi, Sep 08 The Sanchar Saathi mobile app has surpassed 50 lakh downloads since its launch in January, establishing itself as a crucial tool for safeguarding India’s extensive telecom ecosystem. This citizen-centric application, introduced by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), enhances the existing Sanchar Saathi portal by providing mobile users with convenient, real-time protection against identity theft, forged Know Your Customer (KYC) details, device theft, banking fraud, and other cyber threats.

The app has significantly contributed to national security efforts, evidenced by the successful blocking of over 37.28 lakh stolen or lost mobile devices and the termination of more than 3 crore fraudulent mobile connections. Additionally, it has facilitated the disabling of 16.97 lakh WhatsApp accounts and the blacklisting of over 20,000 bulk SMS senders, thereby curbing telecom-related fraud.

Key functionalities of the Sanchar Saathi app include :

• Chakshu: Allows users to report suspicious communications (calls, SMS, WhatsApp) related to fraud, particularly KYC-updating scams, aiding in the swift action against forged KYC and identity theft.
• IMEI Tracking and Blocking: Enables the tracking and blocking of lost or stolen phones nationwide, assists police in tracing devices, prevents the entry of counterfeit phones, and thwarts device cloning attempts.
• Verification of Mobile Connections: Empowers users to check and report suspicious connections created using forged KYC details, with the option to block them immediately.
• Know Your Mobile Handset’s Genuineness: Provides an easy method to verify the authenticity of a purchased mobile device.
• Reporting of International Calls: Allows citizens to report international calls that are disguised as domestic ones by using Indian number formats (+91), which often originate from illegal overseas telecom setups.
• Know your Internet Service Provider: Enables users to check details of wireline Internet Service Providers by entering location-specific information or ISP names.

The app, available in Hindi and 21 regional languages on both Android and iOS platforms, aims to strengthen telecom security by empowering citizens to protect their digital identities and combat fraud. It serves as a timely response to the growing national concern over rising cybercrime incidents, which saw a notable surge from 2023 to 2024 as reported by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).

Sanchar Saathi also supports TRAI’s regulations by enabling users to report spam and fraudulent communications easily, reinforcing digital confidence and promoting a safer mobile environment for India’s over a billion subscribers.