Centre tells Supreme Court SIM-binding for WhatsApp can help curb digital arrest scams – India Legal

The Union authorities has knowledgeable the Supreme Courtroom that linking WhatsApp accounts to lively SIM playing cards may considerably cut back the incidence of so-called “digital arrest” scams, a rising class of cyber fraud by which victims are coerced by impersonation and threats of authorized motion.

Making submissions earlier than the Courtroom, the Centre defined that SIM-binding—a course of that ensures a messaging account stays repeatedly linked to the SIM card related to the registered cellular quantity—would assist curb misuse of over-the-top communication platforms by cybercriminals. Based on the federal government, fraudsters usually exploit international, cloned or deactivated SIM playing cards to impersonate Indian authorities, making detection and enforcement tough.

The Centre additional apprised the Courtroom of steps taken by the Division of Telecommunications to dam worldwide calls that falsely seem to originate from Indian numbers. These spoofed calls, often utilized in digital arrest scams, at the moment are being filtered at worldwide gateways. The federal government said that this intervention has led to a pointy discount in such calls in latest months.

Digital arrest scams usually contain criminals posing as law-enforcement or authorities officers and contacting victims through calls or messaging platforms comparable to WhatsApp. Victims are falsely knowledgeable that they’re beneath investigation and are pressured into transferring cash to keep away from arrest or prosecution. The Centre submitted that enhanced authentication necessities on messaging purposes may disrupt this modus operandi.

The SIM-binding requirement varieties a part of broader regulatory measures launched to strengthen telecom and cyber safety. Underneath these measures, messaging platforms are required to make sure that person accounts stay tied to the SIM card current within the gadget on which the appliance is used. The federal government argued that this could make it tougher for fraudsters to function accounts remotely or by a number of gadgets with out detection.

The Supreme Courtroom is analyzing these submissions within the context of its ongoing scrutiny of rising cybercrime incidents. The Courtroom has beforehand directed coordination amongst central companies, together with the Ministry of Residence Affairs and the Division of Telecommunications, to develop customary working procedures for stopping fraud, tracing perpetrators and helping victims.

Whereas acknowledging considerations round implementation and person comfort, the Centre maintained that stronger safeguards are needed in gentle of the growing sophistication of cybercrime. It emphasised that SIM-binding and allied measures strike a steadiness between person privateness and the necessity to shield residents from large-scale monetary fraud.