New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) The Union government, on Tuesday, cautioned citizens against a cyber fraud being perpetrated by scamsters using fake notices from “Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)” or “Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)” that warn phone customers about possible SIM card blockage.

Issuing a factcheck to declare such notices from “BSNL” and “TRAI” as fake, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) advised citizens to exercise caution and not fall in the trap of scamsters, who might indulge in a fraud of digital arrest, by extracting key information from them.

In the fake notices being issued on notepads of BSNL, the “TRAI” informs a customer to contact a KYC Verification Executive and share contact details.

The message in the notice says, “Dear Customer, Your SIM KYC has been suspended by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Your Sim card will be blocked within 24 hours. Call Immediately.”

The PIB Factcheck informed citizens that BSNL has not issued any notice related to SIM KYC.

“BSNL Corporate never sends any such notices. Do not share your personal and bank details with anyone,” said the PIB advisory issued along with the factcheck.

Meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that as many as 86,420 cases of cybercrime were registered during 2023.

Citing data from ‘Crime in India’ published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said, in a written reply, that 65,893 cybercrime cases were registered in 2022 and 52,974 cases were registered in 2021.

The MoS said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has provided financial assistance of Rs 116.5 crore under the ‘Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC)’ Scheme, to the states/Union Territories (UTs) for setting up of cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories.

“As of now, cyber forensic-cum-training laboratories have been commissioned in 33 states/UTs, including Madhya Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Maharashtra,” he added.

MoS Sanjay Kumar said that at present, seven Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CFSLs) and 27 State Forensic Science Laboratories are operational across the country to assist in investigation of cybercrime cases.

“Of the seven CFSLs, prior to 2014, Digital Forensics facility was available in four CFSLs located in Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Kolkata. After 2014, three new CFSLs (including Digital Forensic Divisions) have been established at Pune, Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), and Kamrup (Assam),” he said.

–IANS

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