The government introduced the Chakshu portal as part of the Sanchar Sathi initiative on Monday, allowing users to report suspicious activities such as fraudulent calls, messages regarding lottery or job offers, and potential leaks of phone numbers by businesses.
The Union Minister of IT and Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted that through digital interventions to combat fraud and crime, the Department of Telecom Services has successfully prevented citizens from losing approximately ₹1000 crore over the past nine months.
Also Read: Pune man loses ₹2.1 crore to online fraud: How to keep yourself safe from cyber criminals?
Moreover, ₹1008 crore has been frozen in bank accounts associated with fraudulent transactions.
What is ‘Chaksu’?
“Chakshu is about reporting something which people suspect is fraud,” Vaishnaw said.
In response to inquiries regarding mobile numbers leaked by businesses, the minister explained that subscribers can use the Chakshu portal to report instances of such leaks, and appropriate measures will be taken against those responsible. He noted that in the past nine months, 1 crore mobile numbers associated with malicious activities have been disconnected.
What is ‘DIP’?
The Department of Telecom has also introduced the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), aimed at facilitating the coordination and exchange of information between law enforcement agencies, banks, and other financial institutions to address instances of fraud effectively.
“With the Chakshu and Digital Intelligence Platform, we think the pace at which we were able to detect and prevent cyber frauds will significantly improve,” Vaishnaw said.
The minister added that there will be an investigation carried out on the reported number and action will be taken thereafter.
Vaishnaw said that the ministry is working with financial institutions including RBI to recover money, and prevent and freeze accounts in which money has been transferred fraudulently, adding, “17 lakh mobile numbers have been blocked in the last nine months that were used only once, especially for fraudulent activities.”
As reported by PTI, Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan appreciated the efforts of DoT which he said, has completed several projects for countering cyber-security threats. He said that many more such projects are under development to deal with new and emerging frauds, he said.
Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal noted that the two new portals are yet another step for dealing with cyber security threats to every citizen’s digital assets. He said the new tools will help curb any kind of fraudulent means and misuse of the communications system.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Published: 05 Mar 2024, 08:43 AM IST