Cybercrime complaints cross 19 lakh in 2024; 97% drop in spoofed calls post new measures
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have intensified efforts to combat cyber fraud, with over 19.18 lakh complaints related to cybercrime reported on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) in 2024, amounting to financial losses of Rs. 22,811.95 crore, according to Minister of State for Communications & Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar.
To curb telecom fraud, DoT, in collaboration with telecom service providers (TSPs), launched a system to identify and block international spoofed calls that mimic Indian mobile numbers. This system, commissioned on October 17, 2024, blocked 1.35 crore fraudulent calls within the first 24 hours. As of March 3, the number of such blocked calls has drastically reduced to just 4 lakh, marking a 97% drop in incoming spoofed calls.
The MHA has also strengthened cybersecurity initiatives by establishing the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and launching the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) to assist law enforcement agencies (LEAs). Meanwhile, DoT continues to engage citizens through social media campaigns, SMS alerts, and its Sanchar Saathi App/portal to raise awareness and report telecom-related frauds.
Additionally, DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), which enables data-sharing on telecom resource misuse, now includes 560 organizations, including central security agencies, state police departments, and telecom operators.
