Further tightening the safety from identity theft, the Department of Telecommunication, Government of India, has recently launched a portal where any Aadhaar holder can check SIM cards issued in their name.
Before the practice of eKYC with fingerprint verification came along for getting a new SIM card, it was not very hard for frauds to get a SIM card issued in anyone’s name. In order to tighten the safety from identity theft, the Department of Telecommunication recently launched a portal where any Aadhaar holder can check SIM cards issued in their name. The portal is called Telecom Analytics for Fraud Management and Consumer Protection (TAFCOP). By following a few simple steps, you can check the list of mobile numbers issued in your name.
The portal provides facilities to users by intimating subscribers about the number of connections they have. Users can visit the portal and report the numbers that are no longer used by them or are required. The telecom service providers will then block or deactivate the numbers.
- Go to the TAFCOP Portal — https://tafcop.dgtelecom.gov.in/
- Please ensure that you have entered the correct address. You will see an input field in the centre of the homepage, and click on the “Get OTP” button.
- Soon, you will get an OTP from DOT. Enter the OTP and click on the “Validate” button.
- If the OTP verification was successful, you will see a list of mobile numbers issued with your Aadhaar details. Note that if your number is activated as a corporate connection, all mobiles related to the connection will be listed.
- Look carefully at the numbers. If you do not recognise any of them, or if you do not use a number anymore, you can report them to the Department of Telecommunication from the portal itself.
- To report a number, select the checkbox on the left of the number, and click on the “This is not my number,” if you do not remember purchasing the number. For the numbers you do not need anymore, click on the “Not required” option.
- Finally, click on the Report button.
If you do not have any inactive or suspicious numbers in your name, there is no need to report them. Now that there is a portal dedicated to this service, it is a good practice to keep checking your number regularly wherever you use your Aadhaar card with some external agency.
