People should not take calls from 'unknown' numbers: Telecom minister

Vaishnaw urged people to not pick mobilephone calls from "unknown numbers" and asserted that measures taken by ministry have resulted in a significant reduction in spam calls and cases of cyber frauds

Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urged people on Friday to not pick mobilephone calls from "unknown numbers" and asserted that measures taken by the ministry have resulted in a significant reduction in spam calls and cases of cyber frauds.

"People should never pick calls made from unknown numbers. I request every citizen that they should respond to calls from only (telephone/mobile) those numbers they recognise," he told reporters. He was responding to a question about spam calls and cyber frauds.

Vaishnaw said his ministry had recently launched the 'Sanchar Saathi' portal to prevent spam calls and cyber frauds. Over 40 lakh wrong SIMs and 41,000 wrong "points of sale" agents were blacklisted, he added.

The use of artificial intelligence has helped significantly to reduce these cases, he said.

People should respond to unknown numbers only if an identification message is sent from such callers, the minister said.