FRI on DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform Prevents ₹660 Cr Cyber Fraud in 6 Months

Since its rollout on 22 May 2025, the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator has helped prevent cyber fraud losses amounting to approximately ₹660 crore in just six months.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has reported major success in combating cyber-enabled financial fraud through the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), enabled by strong institutional support from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). This collaboration has driven large-scale onboarding of banks, financial institutions, Third-Party Application Providers (TPAPs) and Payment System Operators (PSOs) onto DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP).

As of date, over 1,000 banks, TPAPs and PSOs have onboarded the DIP and are actively using FRI to detect and prevent fraudulent transactions. To ensure effective adoption, DoT has also been conducting regular knowledge-sharing and capacity-building sessions, with 16 stakeholder sessions held so far to strengthen awareness and operational integration of FRI across the financial ecosystem.

₹660 Crore Cyber Fraud Losses Prevented in Six Months

Since its rollout on 22 May 2025, the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator has helped prevent cyber fraud losses amounting to approximately ₹660 crore in just six months. Reports from public sector banks, private sector banks, cooperative banks, TPAPs and other financial institutions indicate that a large number of suspicious transactions were either declined in real time or flagged with alerts by leveraging FRI insights available on the DIP.

This proactive intervention has significantly reduced financial losses across the banking and digital payments ecosystem, demonstrating the effectiveness of intelligence-led, inter-agency collaboration in cyber fraud prevention.

Evolving Cybercrime Threats and the Power of Jan Bhagidari

India’s cybercrime landscape has evolved rapidly, with fraudsters increasingly operating like well-organised digital cartels. Emerging threats range from digital arrest scams to sophisticated SIM-box networks that bypass legitimate telecom routes. In this increasingly complex environment, Jan Bhagidari (citizen participation) has emerged as a decisive force in strengthening cyber defence mechanisms.

Through Sanchar Saathi, India’s flagship citizen-facing digital platform, millions of users are contributing real-time intelligence by reporting suspected fraud communications. Sanchar Saathi has now emerged as one of the country’s most powerful crowdsourced cyber-intelligence tools, providing critical inputs that feed into the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator.

Citizen Vigilance Driving Systemic Impact

The DoT has acknowledged and appreciated the role of vigilant citizens and Cyber Warriors who actively use the Sanchar Saathi portal (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in) and its mobile application available on Android and iOS. Citizens are using the platform to report suspected fraud calls and messages, flag fraudulent mobile connections issued in their names, and trace lost or stolen mobile handsets.

Recent trends in downloads and usage of the Sanchar Saathi mobile app reflect growing public trust in the platform and highlight the proactive role of citizens in preventing cyber fraud. This large-scale public engagement is significantly reducing the misuse of telecom resources by fraudsters and contributing to a safer, more resilient digital ecosystem.

From Individual Awareness to Collective Protection

While many aware users now recognise fraud calls and disconnect them, such individual actions alone do not stop fraudsters from targeting less-informed citizens. Sanchar Saathi bridges this gap by enabling users to report suspected fraud communications directly from call logs with just a few taps.

This collective reporting mechanism allows authorities and telecom operators to identify fraud patterns, block offending numbers, deactivate fake connections and deter repeat offenders, transforming individual awareness into system-wide protection.

Call for Wider Adoption and Continued Collaboration

The Department of Telecommunications has urged all citizens to actively use the Sanchar Saathi web portal and mobile app to avail themselves of citizen-centric telecom safety services. DoT reiterated its commitment to building a secure digital payments and communications ecosystem through inter-agency coordination, proactive fraud detection, and intelligence-driven policy interventions.

The department emphasised that continued cooperation among RBI, NPCI, SEBI, PFRDA, banks, financial institutions, payment operators and citizens under the Jan Bhagidari framework remains essential to safeguarding India’s rapidly expanding digital economy.