DoT directs operators to re-verify over 6 lakh mobile connections in 60 days

New Delhi: The Department of Telecom has directed telecom operators to verify more than 6 lakh mobile connections suspected to have been obtained using invalid, non-existent, or fake documents, an official statement said on Thursday.

The DoT has issued directives to telecom operators to carry out immediate re-verification of the identified mobile numbers within 60 days. "DoT has identified approximately 6.80 lakh mobile connections suspected to have been obtained using invalid, non-existent, or fake and forged Proof of Identity (PoI) and Proof of Address (PoA) KYC documents," the statement said.

The department has flagged around 6.80 lakh mobile connections as potentially fraudulent after advanced AI-driven analysis. "The questionable veracity of the PoI/PoA KYC documents suggests the use of fabricated documents for obtaining these mobile connections. DoT has issued directives to the TSPs to carry out immediate re-verification of these identified mobile numbers. All TSPs are mandated to re-verify the flagged connections within 60 days. Failure to complete re-verification will result in the disconnection of the concerned mobile numbers," the statement said.

In April, DoT flagged 10,834 suspected mobile numbers for re-verification. Of these, 8,272 mobile connections were disconnected failing re-verification.