India's Digital Intelligence Platform prevents ₹1,400 crore in financial fraud losses

Department of Telecommunications launches comprehensive anti-scam drive

The Department of Telecommunications has prevented potential financial losses exceeding ₹1,400 crore through its Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) system since its launch in May 2025, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia informed the Rajya Sabha. This marks a significant milestone in India's battle against financial fraud, with the system now serving as a critical defense mechanism for millions of citizens conducting digital transactions1

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The FRI operates as a risk-scoring system that categorizes suspicious mobile numbers into medium, high, or very high fraud probability categories. This risk category classification enables banks, non-banking financial companies, and UPI service providers to implement real-time protection measures including transaction alerts, temporary delays, enhanced due diligence, warning notifications, and transaction declines in high-risk cases2

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Digital Intelligence Platform connects 1,200 stakeholders nationwide

The Digital Intelligence Platform serves as the backbone of India's citizen protection framework against telecom-enabled fraud. Developed as a secure online system, the platform enables real-time, bidirectional information sharing among more than 1,200 organizations. These stakeholders include central security agencies, enforcement agencies, police departments across 36 states and union territories, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, banks, UPI service providers, payment system operators, and telecom operators2

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Through this collaborative network, stakeholders can flag suspicious mobile numbers suspected of fraudulent activity. The Department of Telecommunications analyzes this data and shares it with relevant agencies for rapid action, creating a continuous intelligence-sharing loop that strengthens the overall security ecosystem1

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ASTR AI tool identifies and disconnects 88 lakh suspicious connections

The ASTR AI tool, an artificial intelligence and big data analytics system operating within the Digital Intelligence Platform, has identified suspicious connections leading to the disconnection of more than 8.8 million mobile numbers after reverification. These SIMs disconnected were flagged as potentially being misused in cybercrime or financial fraud activities. The ASTR AI tool uses AI-led monitoring to analyze patterns and detect anomalies that indicate fraudulent behavior1

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Source: ET

Additionally, based on 7.93 lakh reports of suspected fraudulent communication submitted by citizens through the Sanchar Saathi platform, another 39.53 lakh mobile connections have been disconnected. This demonstrates the critical role of citizen participation in combating financial fraud and cybercrime2

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The Department of Telecommunications shares analyzed data with stakeholders through a mobile number revocation list, which includes details of disconnected numbers, reasons for disconnection, and dates of action taken. Stakeholders submit action taken reports and share additional suspicious mobile numbers, maintaining the continuous flow of intelligence that powers this anti-scam drive. As India moves toward a more AI-driven and risk-based digital security system, these coordinated and technology-driven measures signal a future where real-time fraud prevention becomes increasingly sophisticated and effective.