In a bid to check stock market and investment scams, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) have partnered to stop fraudsters from misusing mobile numbers for such fraudulent schemes.
Under this partnership, both sides will share important information to catch fraud early. DoT will provide Sebi with a system that can identify suspicious mobile numbers based on risk patterns. It will also share a list of mobile numbers that have already been disconnected due to fraud. This will help brokers and investment companies ensure that investor accounts are linked only to genuine and active mobile numbers.
In return, Sebi will share details of accounts involved in cyber fraud, impersonation, or money mule activities. This will allow telecom authorities to quickly block or take action against such mobile numbers, preventing further misuse.
All this information will be shared through a digital platform that connects over 1,400 organisations, allowing real-time exchange of data and faster response. This makes the system more efficient in dealing with fraud cases.
This step is important as more people in India are investing through online platforms. By combining telecom data with market monitoring, authorities can now stop fraud before it happens instead of acting after losses occur. A special alert system will also warn about risky mobile numbers that may be used in scams.
The government has already taken strong steps in this area. Under the Sanchar Saathi programme, more than 88 lakh fake mobile connections have been disconnected. These efforts have helped prevent losses of around ₹2,300 crore in the past ten months.
Going forward, both DoT and Sebi will work closely, follow common procedures, and keep updating their systems to tackle new types of fraud, making investing safer for everyone.