The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has joined hands with WhatsApp to enhance digital safety and protect citizens from telecom-related frauds and online scams. This partnership is part of Meta’s ‘Scam Se Bacho’ campaign, which focuses on educating users about identifying and reporting suspicious messages and calls.
To ensure widespread awareness, DoT will conduct training workshops for DoT officials, Sanchar Mitras, Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), and field units. WhatsApp will also work with DoT to explore ways to build citizen centric services of Sanchar Saathi initiatives through WhatsApp platform for wider reach of Sanchar Saathi. Sanchar Saathi (accessible at https://sancharsaathi.gov.in) enables users to report fraud calls and messages, check mobile connections linked to their identity, and block or trace lost or stolen mobile phones.
Additionally, citizen awareness campaigns will be launched to help users recognize and report fraud. To make the information more accessible, all safety materials will be available in regional languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Gujarati.
The partnership was discussed in a meeting between Union Minister of Communication and Development of North East Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, Joel Kaplan. The minister emphasized that as India’s digital landscape expands, protecting citizens from fraud remains a top priority. He highlighted that leveraging WhatsApp’s vast reach would significantly strengthen efforts to combat cyber threats.
Kaplan stressed the importance of educating users to prevent scams and reaffirmed Meta’s commitment to investing in technology and resources to stay ahead of fraudsters. By combining DoT’s expertise in telecom security with WhatsApp’s technological capabilities, the partnership aims to create a safer digital environment for all.
