Blocked 7.81 Lakh SIM Cards, Saved Rs 4386 Crore From Cyber Fraud: Centre Informs Parliament

New Delhi: Union government on Tuesday informed Lok Sabha that the law enforcement agencies have blocked over 7.81 lakh SIM cards linked to digital frauds till February 28 this year. 

In a written reply, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said  a total of 2,08,469 IMEIs reported by police authorities have been blocked by the Government of India. 

A total of 2,08,469 IMEIs reported by police authorities have been blocked by the Government of India, Centre informed Parliament. 

The International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is a unique number assigned to every phone.

In addition, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has proactively identified and blocked more than 3,962 Skype IDs and 83,668 WhatsApp accounts used for digital arrest, the minister said.

"The Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System, under the I4C, has been launched in 2021 for immediate reporting of financial frauds and stopping siphoning off funds by fraudsters. So far, around Rs 4,386 crore have been saved in more than 13.36 lakh complaints," Kumar said in the reply.

As part of the 14C initiative, a national cybercrime reporting portal (https://cybercrime.gov.in) has been launched to allow the public to report all types of digital crimes, with a particular focus on crimes against women and children, the minister stated.

He explained that crimes reported on the portal are processed into FIRs, and law enforcement agencies in the relevant states and Union Territories take further action.

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Additionally, the minister announced the activation of a toll-free helpline number, 1930, to assist individuals in filing complaints.