Although it may sound bad to say it, hearing an Indian accent on the other end of an unsolicited call is already synonymous with danger for many. India is one of the countries with the most fraudulent call centers, and that sends the most spam calls to the rest of the world. Specifically, it is the fourth, behind Brazil, Peru and Ukraine, with the greatest problem of spam centers, according to a Truecaller study from 2021.
From the fake Microsoft technician scam to supposed cryptocurrency platforms, India is a country where the business of scams and spam calls is relentless, and that is why its government has just implemented a change in regulations that, if complied with, could mean a before and after for our peace of mind, and that of the Indians themselves. Spam is not only sent to other countries, but it also seriously affects its own domestic market, after all, being the most populous country in the world since 2023.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a new directive on Tuesday ordering the country’s operators to block calls from unregistered telemarketers and to keep them blocked for two years. This rule also explicitly includes pre-recorded voice messages and “computer-generated” messages, which can refer to those created by artificial intelligence.
According to a document Shared by TRAI, “This decisive action by TRAI is expected to significantly reduce spam calls and provide relief to consumers.”
In addition, for the blocking to be truly efficient, the regulation requires the telecom company that has detected an infringement to include, within 24 hours, the teleoperator’s data in a distributed DLT registry, which other operators can (and will have to) consult in order to apply the same blocking. In this way, it will be attempted to prevent the fraudulent company from continuing its activity by moving from operator to operator.
Spam complaints are on the rise in India
With this decision, the Indian government wants to relieve its citizens from the serious pressure of these types of fraudulent calls, but it may also cause a significant decrease in the number of calls from India received in other parts of the world.
Whether the rule will significantly cut the flow of spam remains to be seen, as the process is not so straightforward: fraudulent telemarketers have to be given up to three opportunities before they are finally denied service. On the second warning, their service is cut off for half a year. In addition, it is the operators themselves who decide whether a telemarketer is breaking the rules or not, based on the number of complaints received. Previous attempts to reduce the problem have borne little fruit, with, for example, operators disconnecting phone numbers one by one, rather than the full service contracted by such a company.
This time, operators will have to report to the government, on the 1st and 16th of each month, information on their progress in this regard, so that the authorities will have an easier time monitoring whether operators are working on it.
Pressure is mounting on operators to tackle the problem in the country, as complaints about spam calls have multiplied in recent months. In 2023, 1.2 million complaints were registered, and in the first half of this year, 790,000 complaints have already been recorded.
