The rise in fraudulent activities has been notable in an era driven by digital transactions and widespread information interchange.
Cybercriminals have zeroed in on susceptible targets, even deceiving people who are technically knowledgeable and well-versed in digital practises, culminating in the illegal acquisition of their hard-earned assets.
According to the Times of India, law enforcement in Andhra Pradesh recently identified a troubling case in which a single Aadhaar card was linked to an astonishing 658 SIM cards.
The police then sent directions to the appropriate service providers, requiring the deactivation of these SIM cards.
Polukonda Naveen was in charge of registering these SIM cards, which were then delivered to retailers selling mobile phones and kiosks offering mobile services.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) established the underlying regulation, which allows a maximum of nine SIM cards to be paired with a single Aadhaar card.
This policy especially benefits larger families by enabling them to obtain several connections with a single Aadhaar number. Nonetheless, this guidance is vulnerable to abuse, requiring the DoT to create a method to mitigate such exploitation.
This feature especially benefits larger families by enabling them to obtain multiple connections. The Department of Telecom (DoT) has launched a dedicated website, tafcop.dgtelecom.gov.in (Sanchar Sathi), to ease the verification of the number of SIM cards associated with a given Aadhaar card.
Users obtain access to important capabilities such as determining the number of SIM cards connected with their Aadhaar information and taking action in the event of a lost or stolen mobile device by visiting the website.
When users visit Sanchar Sathi, they will see two primary links: one for reporting lost or stolen mobile devices and another for identifying their registered mobile connections.
When consumers click the latter link, they are directed to a website where they must enter their 10-digit mobile number, a captcha code, and the OTP (One-Time Password) issued to the specified cell number.
This operation displays a page with detailed information about the mobile numbers associated with the user's Aadhaar credentials. Furthermore, the portal allows users to block any erroneously registered numbers that do not belong to them.
The Department of Telecom emphasises that the Sanchar Saathi portal empowers mobile subscribers by strengthening their security measures and increasing their awareness.
