₹50 Lakh Penalty for SIM Fraud, IMEI Tampering: Telecom Department
What Happened
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has warned that fraudulent SIM issuance, misuse of telecom identifiers, and tampering with IMEI numbers can attract punishment of up to three years' imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹50 lakh under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. The warning follows the detection of a SIM activation racket in Chhattisgarh, where a Point of Sale (PoS) agent allegedly activated 25 SIM cards using citizens' identity documents without their knowledge or consent.
Key Takeaways
The DoT has urged citizens not to share, transfer, rent, or lend SIM cards registered in their name, as legal liability may extend to the original subscriber if the connection is used for cybercrime or fraud. Users have been advised to regularly verify mobile numbers linked to their identity through the Sanchar Saathi portal and app.