The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has strengthened its measures to tackle consumer issues by introducing new regulations aimed at curbing spam calls and cybercrime. TRAI has issued directives to telecom service providers, with the new rules set to take effect from September 1.
Under the new regulations, if a telemarketing call is made from a private or anonymous number, telecom providers are required to block that number for two years. This decision comes in response to a significant increase in fraudulent activities associated with spam calls. According to data from the Department of Telecommunications, over 10,000 spam calls were reported in the past three months. However, telecom service providers have not taken substantial action against these calls until now. Despite consumer complaints, little has been done to address the issue, prompting TRAI to intervene directly. The new rules place the responsibility for spam calls on telecom operators.
If consumers report telemarketing calls from private numbers, telecom operators must take immediate action. They are required to investigate the complaint and block the SIM card from which the call originated for two years. TRAI believes this rule will help reduce spam and fake calls, making it more difficult for such calls to originate from personal phones.