The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is implementing the instructions issued by the PMO last month. The government is going to tighten the rules to prevent fraud caused by the use of fake SIM cards. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has instructed all telecom companies to implement the Digital Integrated Verification System. The move is aimed at preventing the increasing misuse of mobile connections obtained through fake documents, which are often used for fraud and other criminal activities.

Aadhaar verification will be mandatory.

Earlier, consumers used government documents like voter ID, driving license, or passport to get a mobile connection. However, under the new rule, now SIM will be issued only after PoS verification and KYC of the Aadhaar card. Biometric verification will be mandatory to get SIM through Aadhaar. Now retailers will not be able to sell SIM cards to the customer without following this process.

Not only this, it will also be checked how many SIM cards are active in the name of the customer. If the customer has taken a SIM card with different names, then it will also come under investigation. Apart from this, it will now be mandatory to take a photo of the customer from 10 different angles.

Decision after PMO's review meeting

Last month, the PMO held a review meeting with the telecom sector. In which the issue of the use of fake SIM cards in financial scams was raised prominently. The investigation revealed incidents where several SIM cards were linked to the same device, which violated telecom regulations and promoted cybercrime.

The PMO had directed the Department of Telecommunications to work closely with law enforcement agencies and use AI tools to identify and punish criminals. After this instruction, strict action can be taken against retailers selling SIM cards using fake documents.

The rule will also apply to retailers.

The government made the registration rule mandatory for SIM card dealers in August 2023 itself. This means that now only those retailers and distributors will be able to sell SIM cards who are registered. DoT has issued a notification saying that from April 1, 2025, only those PoS will be able to sell new SIM cards, which will be registered according to the DoT guidelines of August 31, 2023. This is expected to help in curbing fake SIM card sales.

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