Scams! Yes, they are increasing day by day and giving all of us a hard time. Whether you are from any part of the world, you may have heard or even witnessed scam calls. However, recently scams have been rampant in India, where people have been getting digitally arrested by scammers who then drain them of their savings. And sometimes they call you and say they are from your bank.
There have been several steps taken even by TRAI in India to stop these scams. But now even the Reserve Bank of India has come forward with a new direction for Indian banks to start using the 1600 number series for calling customers and the 140 series for marketing calls and SMS. This means that if your bank will try to reach you, the number should begin with 1600 or 140. And not just banks, but all regulated entities, NBFCs, and payment aggregators will also be under this new direction.
Additionally, they will need to register their customer service numbers on DoT’s Sanchar Saathi portal, making it easier for customers to verify legitimate business numbers. Second, they must join TRAI’s Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform, where they can only use approved templates for SMS and calls. Furthermore, banks and other financial institutions must get clear digital consent from customers before sending any promotional messages. These measures are designed to eliminate unauthorized telemarketers and create a system where all commercial communications can be traced.
