TRAI issues advisory on fraudulent activities misusing its name

New Delhi, Aug 6 The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday issued an advisory cautioning the public about a rise in cyber frauds and financial scams involving misuse of its name.

According to the authority, the fraud includes impersonation of TRAI officials through calls, messages, forged documents, and fraudulent letterheads to threaten or mislead individuals and coerce them into sharing personal information or transferring money.

"Any such outreach allegedly in the name of the TRAI is unauthorised and not associated with the TRAI," it said.

Emerging scams misusing the TRAI’s name, a prominent example is the so-called ‘digital arrest’ scam, where callers impersonate TRAI or law enforcement officials and falsely accuse individuals of telecom or financial violations or criminal actions.

As per the TRAI, victims are manipulated through fake legal documents, forged identities, and threats of arrest or account freezing, and are coerced to transfer money under the pretext of bail, fines, or verification.

Reiterating its non-involvement in any fraud activities, the authority said that it does not initiate communication with customers regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or otherwise.

The TRAI has also not authorised any third-party agency to contact customers for such purposes, and no one from the regulatory body conducts investigations or collects payments through phone calls, messaging apps, or video platforms, it stated.

Threats for SIM deactivation, registration fee for tower installation and forged email letter containing fake documents with the TRAI's logo are forms of fraud misusing the TRAI's identity, the regulatory body said.

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