Press Information Bureau

Citizens across the country have visited the Sanchar Saathi portal (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in) more than 30 crore times since its launch in May 2023, reflecting the trust they place in it to protect themselves from telecom-related frauds. Developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the portal places simple and easy-to-use tools in the hands of every mobile user – to report a suspicious call or message, to know how many mobile connections are running in their name, to block a lost or stolen handset, and to check whether a handset is genuine before buying it.

Every visit to the portal protects the citizen, and every suspect communication that they report, protects many others. The information shared by citizens on Sanchar Saathi is converted into actionable intelligence that helps DoT, banks and law enforcement agencies to stop fraudsters before they reach their next target. Each citizen who uses Sanchar Saathi thus acts as a Cyber Warrior and as a shield against cyber frauds.

Services at the fingertips of every citizen

Sanchar Saathi brings the following citizen-centric services on a single platform:

• Chakshu – Report suspected fraud communication and spam: Report suspicious calls, SMS or WhatsApp messages – such as fake KYC or bill-payment alerts, impersonation of Government, police or bank officials, and fraudulent investment, job or loan offers – in a few simple steps.
• Know mobile connections in your name: Check all mobile connections issued on your identity and report those which you have not taken or no longer require, so that they cannot be misused.
• Block your lost or stolen mobile handset: Block the handset across the networks of all telecom operators so that it cannot be used anywhere in India, enable its tracing, and unblock it once it is found.
• Know the genuineness of your mobile handset: Verify a handset through its IMEI number before buying a new or second-hand phone.
• Report incoming international calls with Indian numbers: Report calls from abroad that are disguised as domestic (+91) numbers, helping the Government act against illegal telecom set-ups.
• Trusted Contact Details: Verify the genuine customer care numbers, email IDs and website links of banks and financial institutions before sharing any information.
• Keep Yourself Aware: Access awareness material on prevailing fraud trends such as fake loan apps, investment scams, fake job calls and fake traffic challans.

What citizens have achieved through Sanchar Saathi

The Sanchar Saathi dashboard reflects the scale of what citizens and DoT have achieved together:

• More than 30 crore visits to the Sanchar Saathi portal;
• 60.96 lakh lost or stolen mobile handsets blocked, 37.85 lakh traced and over 14 lakh recovered;
• Over 4 crore requests received from citizens to check and report mobile connections in their name have been resolved;
• 12.80 lakh inputs on suspected fraud communications received through Chakshu, leading to action in 59.82 lakh cases, including disconnection of more than 50 lakh mobile connections;
• Suspected cyber-fraud losses of more than ₹5,000 crore prevented through the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI);

Jan Bhagidari: every citizen a Cyber Warrior

When a citizen reports a suspicious call or message on Chakshu, or flags a mobile connection that was never taken in his or her name, the benefit goes far beyond that one individual. Each such report alerts DoT to a mobile number, a device or a pattern being misused to defraud people, and enables timely action, including re-verification and disconnection, before more citizens are targeted. More than 50 lakh mobile connections have been disconnected on the basis of such citizen inputs. Citizens using Sanchar Saathi are therefore not merely beneficiaries of the platform; they are Cyber Warriors who protect their families, their communities and the nation.

Citizen reports power the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator and the Digital Intelligence Platform

The information contributed by citizens is one of the feeds for DoT’s wider fraud-prevention framework. It is a key input for the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), which provides risk-based intelligence on mobile numbers potentially linked to financial fraud. This intelligence is shared securely through the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) with banks, payment service providers, telecom service providers and law enforcement agencies, enabling them to build telecom risk signals into their fraud detection and transaction monitoring systems and to alert or stop a suspicious transaction before the money leaves a citizen’s account. FRI has helped prevent suspected cyber-fraud losses of more than ₹5,000 crore. The Sanchar Saathi ecosystem feeds intelligence to over 1,600 stakeholders who are connected to the Digital Intelligence Platform enabling a ‘whole of government approach’ for coordinated action. A single report by a vigilant citizen thus travels across the telecom, financial and law-enforcement systems to protect many others.

More than 14 lakh lost and stolen handsets recovered

A citizen who loses a mobile handset can report it on Sanchar Saathi and have it blocked across all telecom networks in the country. If anyone attempts to use the blocked handset, its traceability is generated and shared with the police. Through continuous technical enhancements, automated workflows and close coordination among DoT, Telecom Service Providers and State/UT Police authorities, 60.96 lakh handsets have been blocked, 37.85 lakh traced and more than 14 lakh recovered so far.

Simple, multilingual and accessible

The Sanchar Saathi portal has been designed with simple and user-friendly service flows, supported by public dashboards and extensive awareness content on telecom safety, fraud prevention and responsible digital practices. The Sanchar Saathi mobile app, available in English, Hindi and 21 regional languages, brings the same services to citizens in their own language with the convenience of using it over their mobile.

DoT’s appeal to citizens

DoT urges every mobile user to visit Sanchar Saathi (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in) or use the Sanchar Saathi app, to check the mobile connections issued in their name, and to report every suspicious call, SMS or WhatsApp message. A few moments spent on the portal or while using the Sanchar Saathi app can protect a citizen, and many others, from fraud. Citizens who have already lost money or have become victims of cyber-crime should immediately report the matter on the cyber-crime helpline 1930 or at https://www.cybercrime.gov.in 

DoT is fully committed to ensure safety of citizens through its proactive actions for curbing misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial frauds. Total downloads of Sanchar Saathi mobile app also crossed 2.8 crores. Sanchar Saathi mobile app can be downloaded from:

• For Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dot.app.sancharsaathi
• For iOS: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/sanchar-saathi/id6739700695

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NJ/ARJ