Tampering with IMEI numbers or spoofing caller ID also declared criminal offences

New Delhi: Handing over a SIM card obtained on your own documents to someone else could prove costly. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued a fresh advisory on September 21, stating that buying or selling SIM cards using fake IDs, or tampering with a mobile phone's IMEI number, can attract up to 3 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to 50 lakh.

The government has advised all citizens to immediately check on the Sanchar Saathi portal or app whether any unknown mobile number has been activated on their ID without their knowledge.

The Department of Telecommunications took this action following a major cyber fraud case in Chhattisgarh, where a SIM card selling agent had activated 25 fake SIM cards by misusing people's documents without their knowledge.

As soon as the matter came to light, the DoT blacklisted the agent and immediately deactivated all 25 fake numbers after they failed to complete re-verification.

Renting out a SIM card will also affect the actual customer.

The DoT has made it clear that if you buy a SIM card in your name and then sell it, rent it out, or allow it to be used for cyber fraud, you will face police action and legal proceedings.

Obtaining a SIM card using forged documents, committing fraud by concealing one's identity, or misusing a SIM card registered in someone else's name are also serious offences.

When a fraudster obtains a SIM card using a fake ID, or lures someone with money and then uses it to commit cyber crime, that SIM card is referred to as a "mule SIM."

According to the advisory, using a phone whose IMEI number has been tampered with or altered is illegal.

Additionally, using apps or website-based tools that allow you to make calls using someone else's number (spoofing the caller ID) is a criminal offence. The government has identified this as a major threat to national security and network security.