DoT suspends two telemarketing companies for 5.55 crore fraudulent SMSs connected to online fraud

Onextel Media and V-CON Intelligent Security are two registered telemarketers (RTMs) whose services have been suspended by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for sending more than 5.55 crore fraudulent SMSs about cybercrimes since January 2024, as per report.

Reports of harmful SMSs at the 'Chakshu' service on the Sanchar Saathi site prompted the opening of an investigation. A detailed analysis of the information provided by citizens led to the discoveries and enabled targeted interventions.

As of now, DoT has issued orders for the suspension and blacklisting of 131 Principal Entities (PEs), about 5,000 SMS templates and 700 SMS headers related to these malicious SMSes. This step is to prevent misuse of telecom resources for cyber crimes.

Despite blacklisting the PEs, sources said that citizens are still receiving malicious SMSes from new headers.

"Further analysis found that two RTMs, namely, Onextel Media Pvt Ltd and V-CON Intelligent Security Pvt Ltd, were involved in sending 5.55 crore malicious SMSes out of 5.66 crore such SMSes reported by citizens," one of the sources said.  

As per DoT sources, funds were transferred to the account of one of the two RTMs from accounts involved in multiple complaints of organized transnational crimes, including illegal stock investment fraud. This matter is being investigated by Gujarat Police.

The department has issued orders to telcos to blacklist any entity found to be involved in sending malicious SMSs.

The department, based on citizen input and collaboration with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs (I4C, MHA), and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), has implemented stringent measures to protect citizens from malicious and fraudulent calls and SMSes.