India introduces ‘Chakshu’ for reporting fraudulent calls and messages.

The Indian government has launched a new service called Chakshu, accessible on the Sanchar Sathi portal of the Department of Telecommunications. This service allows internet users to report suspicious calls, messages, or WhatsApp communications aimed at defrauding individuals. Users can report fraudulent activities related to KYC updates, bank account/payment wallet updates, SIM/gas/electricity connection updates, sextortion, impersonation as a government official or relative for money, and threats of disconnection of mobile numbers by the Department of Telecommunications. The initiative is part of the government’s efforts to combat financial fraud, spam, and cybercrimes. Users can also report cybercrimes or financial fraud on the cyber-crime helpline number 1930 or the official website. The portal provides a platform for users to submit information about the medium of communication (call, text, or WhatsApp), attach screenshots, provide the number from which communication was received, and more. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has also recommended telecom service providers to implement Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) to address spam and fraud calls, suggesting that recipients see the caller’s name to counter unreliable crowd-sourced data used by third-party apps like TrueCaller.