India blocks 781,000 SIM cards linked to fraud

Law enforcement in India has taken significant steps to combat digital fraud. As of February 28, 2023, over 781,000 SIM cards linked to such frauds have been blocked. The government has also blocked more than 208,000 unique device numbers, known as IMEIs. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, shared this information in a statement to the Lok Sabha. In addition to SIM cards and IMEIs, more than 3,900 Skype IDs and nearly 84,000 WhatsApp accounts associated with digital fraud have been identified and blocked. This effort is part of a larger initiative by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, known as I4C. Launched in 2021, this center aims to quickly address financial fraud through a system that allows citizens to report incidents. So far, it has helped save about 4,386 crore rupees in response to over 1.3 million complaints. The I4C also includes a national portal for reporting cybercrimes, which places special emphasis on crimes against women and children. Kumar noted that state and Union Territory law enforcement agencies handle the cases reported on this portal. Additionally, a toll-free helpline, 1930, has been established to help the public file complaints regarding cybercrimes.