The Sanchar Saathi portal has crossed 30 crore visits since its launch in May 2023, reflecting growing citizen participation in efforts to combat telecom-related fraud and misuse of mobile connections.
Developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the portal provides mobile users with a range of services, including reporting suspicious calls and messages, checking mobile connections issued in their name, blocking lost or stolen handsets and verifying the genuineness of mobile devices.
The government said information shared by citizens through Sanchar Saathi is converted into actionable intelligence and used by telecom authorities, banks and law enforcement agencies to identify and prevent suspected fraud.
Citizen participation in fight against fraud
The Chakshu facility allows citizens to report suspected fraudulent calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages, including fake KYC or bill-payment alerts, impersonation of government, police or bank officials, and fraudulent investment, job and loan offers.
According to the Sanchar Saathi dashboard, 12.80 lakh inputs on suspected fraud communications have been received through Chakshu. These inputs have led to action in 59.82 lakh cases, including the disconnection of more than 50 lakh mobile connections.
The portal also allows citizens to check all mobile connections issued in their name and report those they did not obtain or no longer require, helping prevent potential misuse.
More than 14 lakh lost handsets recovered
Sanchar Saathi has also emerged as a tool for recovering lost and stolen mobile phones.
So far, 60.96 lakh lost or stolen handsets have been blocked, while 37.85 lakh have been traced and more than 14 lakh handsets recovered.
Under the system, citizens can report a lost or stolen handset and have it blocked across telecom networks in the country. If the blocked device is subsequently used, its traceability is generated and shared with the police.
The process involves coordination between the Department of Telecommunications, telecom service providers and State and Union Territory police authorities.
More than ₹5,000 crore in suspected fraud losses prevented
Citizen-generated information also feeds into the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), which provides risk-based intelligence on mobile numbers potentially linked to financial fraud.
The intelligence is shared through the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) with banks, payment service providers, telecom service providers and law enforcement agencies.
This enables financial and telecom entities to incorporate risk signals into fraud detection and transaction monitoring systems and take action against suspicious transactions.
The government said the FRI has helped prevent suspected cyber-fraud losses of more than ₹5,000 crore.
The Sanchar Saathi ecosystem feeds intelligence to more than 1,600 stakeholders connected to the Digital Intelligence Platform, supporting coordinated action across telecom, financial and law-enforcement systems.
Other services for mobile users
Sanchar Saathi also enables citizens to verify the genuineness of a mobile handset using its IMEI number before purchasing a new or second-hand device.
The portal allows users to report international calls that display Indian (+91) numbers and provides verified customer-care numbers, email IDs and website links of banks and financial institutions.
It also carries awareness material on emerging fraud trends, including fake loan applications, investment scams, fraudulent job offers and fake traffic challans.
Multilingual mobile app
The Sanchar Saathi mobile app is available in English, Hindi and 21 regional languages, making its services accessible to citizens in their preferred language.
The mobile application has recorded more than 2.8 crore downloads.
The Department of Telecommunications has urged mobile users to visit the Sanchar Saathi portal or use the mobile app to check connections issued in their name and report suspicious calls, messages or WhatsApp communications.
Citizens who have already lost money or become victims of cybercrime have been advised to report the matter immediately through the cybercrime helpline 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
-PIB
