DoT taps Meta amid rise in spam calls on WhatsApp

Amid an increase in spam calls on WhatsApp, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has taken up the matter with Meta to come up with a solution to tackle the issue, according to people aware of the matter. The action from the government assumes significance amid a lot of complaints by users that they have started receiving spam calls from international numbers. Many also complained of getting messages for job offers and product advertisements etc.

Most of the spam calls are coming from international phone numbers that start with +62 (Indonesia), +254 (Kenya) and +84 (Vietnam). A lot of unwanted messages especially related to job offers in a bid to lure users are also being reported to have come via international numbers. “We are in talks with Meta to tackle the menace of spam calls and messages over its messaging platform WhatsApp,” a government official said, adding that an increase in spam calls over WhatsApp is because the government has tightened noose on fake SIM cards and SMSes.

According to industry executives, the fraudsters and spammers are moving to WhatsApp using other countries’ numbers because the telecom companies have started deploying an artificial intelligence and machine language-based system to curb the menace of pesky calls and spams. “At WhatsApp, the safety of our users is at the core of everything we do and we have devoted efforts to empower users with resources and tools that equip them to safeguard themselves from scams,” a company spokesperson said.

“Blocking and reporting suspicious messages/ calls is an important step to effectively combat scams and when users receive calls from unknown international or domestic phone numbers, WhatsApp provides a convenient way to block and report suspicious accounts,” the spokesperson added.

In response to FE’s query, WhatsApp further said the company applies spam detection technology to spot and take action on accounts engaging in abnormal behavior to stop spam. In India, the company has a grievance officer who can be contacted if a user has a concern about their experience and is unable to report it through other channels. Query sent to Meta regarding the discussion with DoT did not elicit any response.

“WhatsApp should update privacy settings and give the option that ‘only saved contacts can call’. The cases of sextortions and scams from international numbers (ISD codes) on WhatsApp are on the rise in India,” said Anshul Saxena, a cyber security analyst, in a tweet.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 52,974 cybercrimes were reported in India in 2021. Separate data on sextortion cases was not available. In order to curb the menace of fake SIM cards and financial frauds thereof, the DoT is expected to come up with stricter norms for SIM card sellers and is looking to overhaul know-your-customer (KYC) for authenticity in issuing SIM cards and tackle the issue of fake ones.

Key highlights of the upcoming point of sale (PoS) directions for SIM cards include penalties upto Rs 100,000-200,000 per fake SIM card sold by the seller using forged documents and improper KYC (know-your-customer), proper agreement with telecom operators, defined areas of operations of retailers and a mandatory KYC of retailers with every SIM card sold.

The government is also planning to reduce the number of SIM cards issued on a single ID to four from the current nine SIM cards. To identify fraud SIM cards and block them, the Artificial Intelligence and Digital Intelligence Unit (AI & DIU) wing of the DoT currently uses AI and facial recognition for telecom SIM subscriber verification (ASTR) technology. In the last three months, the government using ASTR has blocked 835,000 SIM cards issued on fake IDs.

Amid an increase in spam calls on WhatsApp, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has taken up the matter with Meta to come up with a solution to tackle the issue, according to people aware of the matter. The action from the government assumes significance amid a lot of complaints by users that they have started receiving spam calls from international numbers. Many also complained of getting messages for job offers and product advertisements etc.

Most of the spam calls are coming from international phone numbers that start with +62 (Indonesia), +254 (Kenya) and +84 (Vietnam). A lot of unwanted messages especially related to job offers in a bid to lure users are also being reported to have come via international numbers. “We are in talks with Meta to tackle the menace of spam calls and messages over its messaging platform WhatsApp,” a government official said, adding that an increase in spam calls over WhatsApp is because the government has tightened noose on fake SIM cards and SMSes.

According to industry executives, the fraudsters and spammers are moving to WhatsApp using other countries’ numbers because the telecom companies have started deploying an artificial intelligence and machine language-based system to curb the menace of pesky calls and spams. “At WhatsApp, the safety of our users is at the core of everything we do and we have devoted efforts to empower users with resources and tools that equip them to safeguard themselves from scams,” a company spokesperson said.

“Blocking and reporting suspicious messages/ calls is an important step to effectively combat scams and when users receive calls from unknown international or domestic phone numbers, WhatsApp provides a convenient way to block and report suspicious accounts,” the spokesperson added.

In response to FE’s query, WhatsApp further said the company applies spam detection technology to spot and take action on accounts engaging in abnormal behavior to stop spam. In India, the company has a grievance officer who can be contacted if a user has a concern about their experience and is unable to report it through other channels. Query sent to Meta regarding the discussion with DoT did not elicit any response.

“WhatsApp should update privacy settings and give the option that ‘only saved contacts can call’. The cases of sextortions and scams from international numbers (ISD codes) on WhatsApp are on the rise in India,” said Anshul Saxena, a cyber security analyst, in a tweet.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 52,974 cybercrimes were reported in India in 2021. Separate data on sextortion cases was not available. In order to curb the menace of fake SIM cards and financial frauds thereof, the DoT is expected to come up with stricter norms for SIM card sellers and is looking to overhaul know-your-customer (KYC) for authenticity in issuing SIM cards and tackle the issue of fake ones.

Key highlights of the upcoming point of sale (PoS) directions for SIM cards include penalties upto Rs 100,000-200,000 per fake SIM card sold by the seller using forged documents and improper KYC (know-your-customer), proper agreement with telecom operators, defined areas of operations of retailers and a mandatory KYC of retailers with every SIM card sold.

The government is also planning to reduce the number of SIM cards issued on a single ID to four from the current nine SIM cards. To identify fraud SIM cards and block them, the Artificial Intelligence and Digital Intelligence Unit (AI & DIU) wing of the DoT currently uses AI and facial recognition for telecom SIM subscriber verification (ASTR) technology. In the last three months, the government using ASTR has blocked 835,000 SIM cards issued on fake IDs.