Hyderabad: The telecom SIM subscription frauds account for 35 per cent to 40 per cent of all telecom frauds globally and cause a staggering loss of ₹3,60,000 crore annually for the telecom industry, said Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TSCB) director Shikha Goel on Monday, while launching a study prepared on this topic by the TSCB and the Institute of Data Science (IDS) of the Indian School of Business (ISB).
In SIM subscription fraud, fraudsters subscribe to telecom services but do not pay after using them. They default on dues and can never be caught as the Know Your Customer (KYC) data they submitted is false or inaccurate. “To prevent SIM subscription fraud, people should not share their personal information with strangers, deal only with verified agents, and report lost or stolen SIM cards immediately,” she cautioned.
Shikha Goel explained that SIM card fraud is a big part of day-to-day cybercrime and highlighted the critical need for robust identity verification solutions. The recommendations of the study would be shared with the stakeholders at the national level due to its relevance and the urgent need to address this critical issue, she added.
The study used subscriber data from customer acquisition forms (CAFs) provided by 1,600 criminals, which were collected from different police stations across the state. The study results have shown that the criminals were availing the SIM cards by providing false data. An extensive analysis of SIM registration policies in 160 countries was also conducted to benchmark global best practices, offering valuable insights for enhancing local protocols.
The study titled “Telecom SIM Subscription Frauds: Global Policy Trends, Risk Assessments, and Recommendations” was co-authored by the ISB team led by Prof Manish Gangwar, Dr Shruti Mantri, and officers of the Telangana state police, including ADGP (Greyhounds and Octopus) Stephen Raveendra, Nizamabad district police commissioner, Kalmeshwar Shingenavar, and joint director of Telangana ACB, Rithiraj.
