Inside the murky world of spam calls

In Part-1 of this series, ThePrint explores the origin of spam calls, techniques used by spammers and how easy it is for one to obtain multiple phone numbers. For this investigation, ThePrint spoke to telecom operators, telemarketers, former govt officials and virtual network operators, about data privacy and accountability. 

Spam calls are annoying—a menace even. A LocalCircles survey released in February revealed that over 60% of the 60,000 Indians surveyed received three or more spam or pesky calls on average per day over the past year.

Spam calls are simply defined as unsolicited, repeated or unwanted phone calls made to large groups of people via mobile or landline numbers for advertising, telemarketing or customer acquisition. When such calls end in fraud, they are referred to as scam calls.

While there are regulations and tools, like the TRAI DND app, to deal with spammers, the havoc wreaked by them goes largely unchecked due to unregistered callers and poor implementation, experts say. Telecom industry sources point out that new age smartphones too are capable of identifying the location every time a call from such landline numbers is received.

But is the caller actually there? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Industry sources also pointed out that the location detected by a smartphone may not always be correct.

Over time and with the scarcity of numbers, the lines between a mobile number and a landline number have blurred. This means that in some cases, what may look like a landline number might also be a mobile number.

Virtual numbers

In their pursuit of better market reach and cost-effectiveness, more companies and call centres are now opting for virtual numbers. 

Virtual numbers are actual phone numbers, but aren’t tied to specific devices or addresses. One can’t tell if a fixed landline number or virtual number is being used for a call. For instance, a call from a delivery agent and that from a spammer could both have Indore’s STD code.

This is where Virtual Network Operators (VNOs) come in.

VNOs are telephony cloud service providers that do not own network infrastructure. Once granted Unified Licences by the Department of Telecom (DoT), they can offer virtual numbers to clients (businesses), primarily routing calls between customers and agents. VNOs enable businesses to use local area codes of their choice to expand market reach. 

Why are spam calls often from numbers with STD codes of specific cities, say Indore or Jamshedpur? And are the spammers actually located in these cities? Remember, calls from Zomato riders or Uber drivers, for instance, may likely have a Ghaziabad or Bengaluru STD code.

Traditionally, like everyone else, telemarketers and businesses used landline phones with optical cables. Some service call centres still use fixed lines, though most now use applications to avoid manual dialling.

One registered telemarketer (a loan provider) said while the company is headquartered in Maharashtra’s Pune, the calls were being made from their office in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.

“To obtain bulk landline numbers, a telemarketing business has to be registered with the telecom operator. They may rent a two Mbps (megabits per second) Primary Rate Interface (PRI) from an exchange (service provider) in the area they are based and get landline numbers per requirement, like 20-30 or more,” an industry source explains. 

Adding, “There is one junction box connecting all these lines. Sometimes PRIs are programmed only for outgoing calls. If it’s a bigger enterprise, they might also seek a different channel that offers more numbers.”

But that may not always be the case. Fixed lines can also be mapped to a mobile number and the calls patched.

According to a senior executive working with a VNO licence holder, the company initiates a KYC process with consumers before assigning bulk numbers, which are temporarily assigned to the client. After the completion of the deal, usage of the numbers is stopped for at least three months to avoid duplication.

“VNO licence holders have to follow guidelines laid down in the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018. Before entering into a deal with a company, VNOs have to mandatorily check their telemarketing registration numbers and identity. Principal entity registration is a must. There are regular audits by DoT to keep track,” the executive says. 

VNO executives also note that several companies operate without the mandatory licence, which essentially implies that a number of pre-recorded or telemarketing calls are from unregistered telemarketers (UTMs). These firms, when brought to the notice of DoT and access providers, are blocked and the numbers suspended.

Vivek Jathanna, vice president (carrier operations) at VNO company Exotel, tells ThePrint, “Exotel holds UL VNO-Pan India and Audiotex licences, strictly adhering to KYC norms, number allocation rules and TCCCPR, 2018. These measures are designed to prevent identity theft and misuse through rigorous validation and control mechanisms, in line with regulatory guidelines.”

Industry sources also highlight another issue—paucity of numbering resources for fixed landlines.

“There is a scarcity of numbers due to which a series of different areas are given to businesses as well. Now, an important and solicited call can easily be confused with an unsolicited one as the combinations are getting difficult to detect for users. This also means that one series might appear popular to you today, and tomorrow, another one,” says one executive who did not wish to be named.

One person can legally have up to 9 phone numbers—enough to set up a call centre—with a valid address and identity proof. As one industry insider put it: “It is as easy as buying vegetables.”

Asked about the mushrooming of illegal call centres, a senior officer from Indore Police tells ThePrint, “The problem of illegal call centres is everywhere, especially in developed cities. They can be located in well-gated posh societies to avoid raising any suspicion, but inside, they are busy spamming and scamming people. Whenever there is a complaint, action is taken.”

Adding, “Your local shopkeeper might not ask you for a valid ID proof or can just arrange for another ID. The KYC process can be cheated and you can go on using multiple SIM cards registered in names of people not even connected to you.”

Police officers from several cities say they also routinely inform DoT about illegal use of phone numbers. 

Beyond the menace of spam calls via fixed landlines, mobile numbers or virtual numbers, are also call spoofing apps that allow a user to copy any number for a negligible fee to make calls.

How to deal with spam calls

Spammers include not just UTMs, but also registered telemarketers that indulge in unsolicited commercial communications (UCCs) without customers’ consent or preference.

TRAI guidelines prohibit companies from initiating UCCs with registered subscribers but despite targeted steps, such as the TRAI DND app and complaints helpline, the menace continues.

To register a complaint about UCCs, one can send an SMS to 1909 with a brief description of the call or message, along with the number of the telemarketer and the date of the call or message.

There is also the National Customer Preference Register (NCPR), a national database registry comprising a list of mobile numbers of subscribers who can set their preferences regarding blocking receipt of UCCs from seven specified categories, like banking, real estate, consumer goods, and others. 

With TRAI’s DND application, which is only available for Android users, consumers can mark category-wise preferences to stop calls and messages from registered telemarketers. They can also report UTMs.

Apple users can use other options to register a complaint, like sending a message to 1909 or activating DND features provided by various telecom operators. Community-based applications, such as Truecaller, too assist consumers in identifying spam callers and categorising them into segments.

TRAI has noted in the past that its efforts have not been entirely successful, though spamming by registered telemarketers has been curbed to an extent.

According to a consultation paper by TRAI released in August 2024, while the number of complaints against registered telemarketers have gone down in the last four years, those against UTMs surged by four times.

TRAI also said, “Many entities have started making promotional calls using 10-digits mobile/landline numbers. These entities are also resorting to the use of Auto Dialer/Robo calls for Commercial Communications, bypassing regulatory provisions, and thereby creating nuisance to almost everyone.”

Here, it proposed tighter amendments to the TCCCPR, 2018, seeking mandatory tariffs for phone calls and messages from 10-digit numbers.

TRAI also suggested that telecom subscribers making over 50 calls and sending over 50 SMSes daily should be flagged as potential spammers and be taken up for scrutiny. It also said that considering there is no fool proof mechanism to check the veracity of call content, there needs to be separate regulations for SMSes and calls. The consultation paper also noted that there is an “urgent need” to “forward an appropriate regulatory measure to curb commercial communications using Auto Dialer/Robo-calls”. 

Moreover, in a statement in September, TRAI highlighted a significant rise in calls from UTMs with 7.9 lakh complaints within the first half of this year.

Action against unregistered callers can range from usage cap, to disconnection of all telecom resources of the sender for up to two years.

In June, the regulatory body emphasised the exclusive use of the number series 160 for transactional and service calls, allocated by DoT for entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, and Home-Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. 

And in August, TRAI issued a directive to all service providers, including telecom operators, to halt all pre-recorded and promotional calls from unregistered sources.

According to TRAI’s September statement, over 2.75 lakh telephone numbers have been disconnected and 50 entities blocked in a crackdown against spam callers. The move came after the regulatory body asked telcos to block and disconnect UTMs. TRAI has also recommended to the DoT that bank guarantees of telcos be encashed, if they are unsuccessful in paying the penalties levied on them for failing to curb spam calls.