Mitigating Mobile Number Misuse: RBI Advises Banks to Leverage DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform for Fraud Prevention

Vide a Press Release No: RBI/2024-25/105; CEPD.CO.OBD. No. S1270/50-01-001/2024-25, Dr. Neena R. Jain; Chief General Manager of the Reserve Bank of India has issued governance pertinent to the Prevention of financial frauds perpetrated using voice calls and SMS – Regulatory prescriptions and Institutional Safeguards.

Since, the mobile number of a customer has emerged as a ubiquitous identifier, instrumental in account authentication and verification process, receiving sensitive payment communication, such as OTPs, transaction alerts, account updates, etc., are often misused by scamsters in multiple ways for committing various types of online and other frauds. The proliferation of digital transactions, while offering convenience and efficiency, has also led to a surge in frauds, a pressing concern underscoring the need for concerted action.

With a view to mitigate the potential misuse of mobile numbers, Regulated Entities (REs) are advised to:

• Utilising the Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL), available on the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) developed by Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, Government of India, to monitor and clean their customer database.

To enhance fraud risk monitoring and prevention, the RE’s are advised to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) incorporating the required action to be taken including, inter alia, updating the registered mobile number (RMN) after due verification; enhanced monitoring of accounts linked to these revoked mobile numbers for preventing the linked accounts from being operated as Money Mules and / or being involved in cyber frauds, etc.

• Providing verified details of their customer care numbers to DIP for enabling DoT to publish them on the “Sanchar Saathi” portal (https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/). The details may be shared on the DoT email adg.diu-dot@gov.in

• Undertaking transactional / service calls only using ‘1600xx’ numbering series, when operationalised; undertake promotional voice calls only through phone numbers using ‘140xx’ numbering series; “Important Guidelines for sending commercial communication using telecom resources through Voice Calls or SMS” issued by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) should be followed. RE’s are also advised to undertake awareness measures in this regard through emails, SMS and other modes, in vernacular languages too.

• All Regulated Entities (RE’s) are advised to ensure compliance with the above instructions expeditiously, in any case not later than March 31, 2025.

The Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) developed by Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has the availability of Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL) on real time basis with various categories of disconnected mobile numbers such as mobile numbers:

• taken on fake/ forged documents and failed in re-verification,

• involved in cyber-crime / financial fraud and reported by MHA / Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs),

• reported by citizens and failed in re-verification,

• disconnected by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) per fraud analysis / exceeding limit,

• reported for misuse by other organizations, and

• non-recharge/ no-usage for long time etc.

Courtesy: Reserve Bank of India

Team Maverick