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SIM Fraud, IMEI Tampering: ₹50 Lakh Fine, 3-Year Jail Under New Telecom Act
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CNBC TV18•21-09-2026, 15:31
SIM Fraud, IMEI Tampering: ₹50 Lakh Fine, 3-Year Jail Under New Telecom Act
- •India's Telecommunications Act, 2023, imposes up to three years imprisonment and a ₹50 lakh fine for SIM fraud, misuse of telecom identifiers, and IMEI tampering.
- •The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued an advisory after a Chhattisgarh agent illegally activated 25 mobile connections using citizens' IDs without consent.
- •The DoT urged citizens not to share, sell, or transfer SIM cards issued in their names to avoid legal liability from misuse.
- •Citizens are advised against lending SIM cards, using fake documents for procurement, or using devices with tampered IMEI numbers.
- •The DoT recommends using the Sanchar Saathi portal to check registered mobile connections and verify handset genuineness, warning that misuse facilitates cyber fraud and risks network security.
Key Questions Answered
Under India's Telecommunications Act, 2023, fraudulent issuance of SIM cards, misuse of telecom identifiers, and tampering with IMEI numbers can attract imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to ₹50 lakh.
The advisory was issued after cybercrime investigations revealed that a point-of-sale agent in Chhattisgarh had illegally activated 25 mobile connections using citizens' identity documents without their knowledge or consent.
Citizens can regularly use the government's Sanchar Saathi portal or mobile app to check all mobile connections issued in their names and block any numbers they do not recognize or need.
