The government announced that new regulations aimed at preventing fraudulent SIM swaps or replacements by cyber criminals will go into effect next Monday. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability (Ninth Amendment) Regulations in March 2024, and these regulations will become enforceable on July 1. Under the new regulation, the waiting period for porting mobile numbers after SIM swap has been reduced from 10 to 7 days.
"These amendment regulations are aimed at curbing the porting of mobile numbers by way of fraudulent SIM swap/replacement by unscrupulous elements," the TRAI said.
New regulation has been added to reject requests for a Unique Porting Code (UPC). If a request for UPC is made within seven days of a SIM swap/replacement, it will be denied. This rule is to prevent fraudulent SIM-swapping practices that have caused financial harm to users recently.
For the unversed, SIM swapping occurs when scammers deceive your mobile phone's carrier into activating a SIM card that the fraudsters possess. Once successful, the scammers gain control over your phone number. As a result, anyone trying to contact you through calls or texts will reach the scammers' device instead of your smartphone.
Meanwhile, some provisions of the Telecommunications Act 2023 came into effect on June 26 of this year. The act aimed to update and consolidate the laws governing the development, expansion, and operation of telecommunications services and networks, as well as the allocation of spectrum and related matters. It was intended to replace outdated laws such as the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885 and the Indian Wireless Telegraph Act of 1933 due to significant technological advancements in the telecommunications sector.
The new provisions that came into effect on June 26 included restrictions on the number of SIM cards an individual could use, penalties for fraudulently obtaining a SIM, permission to install mobile towers and more.
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Inputs from IANS
