Lok Sabha Question No. 2539 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Fake Mobile Connections
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Vijay Baghel, Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Smt. Bijuli Kalita Medhi, Shri Shankar Lalwani, Smt. Himadri Singh, Shri Jashubhai Bhilubhai Rathva, Shri Parbhubhai Nagarbhai Vasava, Shri Naba Charan Majhi, Dr. Nishikant Dubey, Shri Biplab Kumar Deb

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2539 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## FAKE MOBILE CONNECTIONS

†2539.  SHRI VIJAY BAGHEL:

SMT. KAMALJEET SEHRAWAT:

SMT. BIJULI KALITA MEDHI:

SHRI SHANKAR LALWANI:

SMT. HIMADRI SINGH:

SHRI JASHUBHAI BHILUBHAI RATHVA:

SHRI PARBHUBHAI NAGARBHAI VASAVA:

SHRI NABA CHARAN MAJHI:

DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

SHRI BIPLAB KUMAR DEB:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of mobile connections obtained via fake documents or involved in cyber crime;
- (b) the number of mobile connections disconnected by the Government which were obtained through forged documents or having involved in cyber crime; and
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  enhanced  the  effectiveness  of  KYC  protocols  for  sim  card acquisitions, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

(a) & (b) Department  of  Telecommunications  (DoT)  has  developed  AI  based  tool  for identification of mobile connections obtained on fake documents and based on the analysis, 78.33 lakh mobile connections have been disconnected by the telecom service providers after reverification. Further, 6.78 lakh mobile connections have been disconnected based on the reporting for involvement in cybercrime.

- (c) In  order  to  strengthen  the  existing  Know  Your  Customer  (KYC)  framework  for  issuing mobile connections to subscribers, DoT has now mandated telecom licensees to register their Point of Sale (PoS) {Franchisee, Distributors & Agents}, who enrol customers and issue SIMs on behalf of licensees. These guidelines, inter-alia, mandate:
- i. indisputable verification of each PoS;
- ii. biometric verification of PoS;
- iii. physical verification of address of place of business & local residence of PoS;
- iv. police verification of PoS in Jammu & Kashmir , Assam & North East License Service Areas (LSAs);

- v. signing of inter-se agreements having specific provisions related to scope & duties of PoS, area of operation (limited within the LSA), penal action for violation including termination of agreement;
- vi. blacklisting  of  PoS  across  all  the  TSPs  if  documents/  information  given  by  PoS  is  false/ forged & on the directions of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs)/ LSAs;

vii. re-verification of all mobile subscribers enrolled by that blacklisted PoS;

- viii. penalty of Rs 10 lakh per PoS per instance if any existing PoS is found enrolling customers without registration after 31.01.2025; etc.

Further, DoT has also amended existing KYC instructions which includes discontinuation of earlier bulk connections framework and introduction of business connections framework where KYC of each end-user is made mandatory before activation. Further, a robust KYC process for Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Swap /replacement has also been introduced. Paper based KYC process has also been discontinued w.e.f. 01.01.2024.

*****