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Informist, Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – WhatsApp Inc. has said it will implement Subscriber Identity Module or SIM binding, examine the feasibility of introducing a mechanism for identifying and blocking device identifications used in digital arrest scams, and undertake additional safeguards to detect and mitigate prolonged scam calls. The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, in a status report filed with the Supreme Court Tuesday, asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to ensure the Meta Platforms Inc.-owned WhatsApp implements these commitments timely.

 

In February, the apex court had issued directions regarding coordination among agencies, strengthening detection of cyber frauds, regulation of telecom misuse, development of technological safeguards, and examination of victim compensation frameworks in digital arrest cases. Examining issues on digital arrest frauds related to telecom service providers and WhatsApp, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre filed a status report before the apex court. Representatives from major telecom service providers -- Bharti Airtel Ltd., Vodafone Idea Ltd., Reliance Jio, and BSNL -- and WhatsApp were invited for specific deliberations relating to digital arrest cases.

 

WhatsApp said it had banned 9,400 accounts this year in digital arrest scams targeting Indian users. The company said it will comply with the provisions of The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, including those related to identification and labelling of synthetically generated information, which is commonly used in video calls made for digital arrests.

 

WhatsApp said it has deployed logo detection and media matching systems to identify and remove accounts impersonating law enforcement agencies. Further, it will continue strengthening artificial intelligence-based systems to detect impersonation of law enforcement agencies and misuse of official logos. 

 

WhatsApp will adopt preventive safeguards similar to features implemented on the Skype platform. Further, it will retain data of deleted accounts for a minimum period of 180 days to assist law enforcement investigations. It will cooperate with law enforcement agencies on timely action on shared signals related to scam networks, said WhatsApp.

 

The cybercrime centre has asked the Department of Telecommunications to expedite the notification and implementation of the Telecommunications (User Identification) Rules and the Biometric Identity Verification System for national level visibility of SIM issuance. The cybercrime centre has asked the telecom department to strengthen verification and accountability mechanisms relating to point of sale vendors for SIM activation. The department should evolve a mechanism for expeditious blocking of suspicious or fraudulent SIM cards used in cybercrime cases, including digital arrest scams, the cybercrime centre said.

 

The cybercrime body has asked the Reserve Bank of India to consider and approve the standard operating procedure formulated by the central bank regarding temporary debit holds on suspicious accounts in cases of cyber-enabled financial frauds. The RBI should issue appropriate directions for uniform implementation of these procedures, so as to establish a consistent framework for handling cyber-enabled financial frauds and to avoid divergent interpretations arising from orders of different high courts, said the cybercrime body.

 

In December, the Supreme Court had ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the digital arrest scams taking place across the country, saying the premier investigating agency's immediate attention is required. The court had taken suo motu cognisance of the rising number of incidents of scamsters using "digital arrest" to extort money from citizens after a complaint that a forged Supreme Court order was being used to con people. The court had termed the siphoning of over INR 540 billion in such cases as absolute "robbery" or "dacoity".  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Ashish Shirke

 

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