New Delhi: The Central Government on Thursday issued fresh regulations for SIM verification to combat cybercrime, which include compulsory verification for dealers selling SIM cards. The provision of bulk connections has been discontinued and verification has been made mandatory.
Union Minister for Communications, electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that 5.2 million mobile connections have been deactivated to take strict action against digital fraud. Around 67,000 dealers have been excluded, and 300 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been filed against SIM card dealers since May 2023. He also mentioned that WhatsApp itself has barred 66000 accounts implicated in fraudulent activities.
Updated regulations for SIM verification:
No more Bulk issuing Of SIM Cards
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had discontinued and replaced bulk connections with the concept of business connections. It also now requires KYC verification for both businesses and individuals before handover of SIM, allowing individuals to still acquire up to nine SIMs with one identification.
Compulsory verification for vendors
As per the new rules, all SIM card vendors will have to complete police and biometric verification along with mandatory registration. The verification of SIM card dealers will be carried out by the telecom operator and violation of this provision can lead to a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh. The minister said that before appointing a dealer, telecom companies will collect details of each applicant and his business-related documents for verification. Earlier the detailed documentation of the dealer was not included in this rule. The minister said that there are 10 lakh SIM dealers and they will be given enough time for verification.
12 months time for verification
The central government has announced to provide a 12-month window to the existing vendors for registration. The purpose of the verification will be to identify, blacklist and remove unscrupulous sellers from the system.
KYC is only to be done digitally
Under the KYC reforms, the demographic details of the customer will be captured by scanning the QR code of the printed Aadhaar in case of taking new SIMs or applying for a fresh SIM on an existing number.
Now KYC will be done only in a digital way
Under KYC reforms, in case of a new SIM or applying for a new SIM on an existing number, the demographic details of the customer will be captured by scanning the QR code of of the printed Aadhaar. Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that soon KYC (Know Your Customer) done through documents will be replaced by digital KYC which will reduce fraud.
SIM Disconnection Period
According to the latest reform, now the mobile number will be allocated to the new customer after 90 days of disconnection. In case of switching from one company to another, the customer will have to complete the KYC process, with a bar of 24 hours on outgoing and incoming SMS facilities.
In an earlier set of reforms this year, the government launched the Sanchar Saathi portal to report and block stolen or lost mobile handsets and ASTR, an AI-based software to detect illegal mobile connections.