₹50 lakh fine for giving someone your SIM card:3-year jail term too; know how to check active SIM cards registered in your name

Giving someone else a SIM card issued using your documents could land you in serious trouble. In a new advisory issued on 21 September, the Department of Telecommunications said that buying or selling a SIM card using a fake ID, or tampering with a mobile phone’s IMEI number, could result in up to three years in prison 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 in their name without their knowledge. Government issues advisory after fraud in Chhattisgarh The Department of Telecommunications has taken this step following a major cyber fraud in Chhattisgarh. There, a SIM card-selling agent misused people’s documents and activated 25 fake SIM cards without their knowledge. As soon as the case came to light, the DoT blacklisted the agent and immediately deactivated all 25 fake numbers after they failed re-verification. Original customer will also face action for renting out a SIM The Department of Telecommunications has made it clear that if you purchase a SIM in your name and sell it to someone else, rent it out or allow it to be used for cyber fraud, you will also face a police case and legal action. In addition, obtaining a SIM using fake documents, committing fraud by concealing your identity or misusing a SIM registered in someone else’s name is also a serious crime. When a fraudster obtains a SIM using someone’s identity proof or takes their SIM by offering money and uses it to commit a cybercrime, the SIM is called a ‘mule SIM’. Changing IMEI Numbers and Caller ID Also Banned According to the advisory, using a phone whose IMEI number has been tampered with or changed is illegal. Similarly, using tools that make calls through apps or websites while displaying someone else’s number (changing the caller ID) is also a crime. The government has deemed this a major threat to national security and networks. What Is the Rule on the Limit for SIM Cards? The rule allowing a maximum of nine SIM cards in one person’s name in India has been in place for a long time. However, the rule is slightly different for Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the north-eastern states. For security reasons, people living in these states can hold a maximum of six SIM cards in their name. The government has asked telecommunications companies to use the Digital Intelligence Platform. The portal contains data on all mobile users in the country. Before activating a new SIM, companies will check on this portal how many SIM cards are active in your name. Portal to Display Photos of People with Extra SIM Cards To make the rules stricter, the government added a new feature to the Digital Intelligence Platform on 23 August. Under this feature, the photos of people who have exceeded the prescribed limit of nine SIM cards will start appearing on the portal. This will enable dealers to immediately identify which customers should be refused a new SIM card when they come to purchase one. Companies Given Until 30 November to Improve Their Systems The Department of Telecommunications has given all telecom companies until 30 November to fully integrate their systems with the new government platform. By then, the companies will have to rectify their entire process to ensure that no extra SIM cards can be activated.