How to Use Chakshu Portal to Report Fraud Spam Calls and Messages

Indian government launched the Chakshu portal as part of the Sanchar Sathi initiative to fight cyber fraud. It attempts to give users the ability to report calls and messages they believe to be fraudulent as well as cases when companies leak customer data. Users can report occurrences of leaking cell phone numbers through the Chakshu portal.

What is the Chakshu Portal

Citizens can report suspected or unsolicited messages via phone, SMS, or WhatsApp to Chakshu. These communications could be related to financial fraud, impersonation, cybercrime, lottery offers, loans, jobs, mobile tower installation, service disconnections, KYC updates, loans, etcetera. Proactive reporting of suspected fraud benefits the Department of Telecommunications by preventing the use of telecom services for financial fraud, cybercrime, and other fraudulent crimes. Remember that "Chakshu" is not a platform for reporting cybercrime or financial fraud.

Aim of Chakshu Portal

Everybody today does online payments for many things, like shopping and business, thus all of our data is online. The Chakshu portal is designed to protect us from fraudulent calls and messages, so that nobody can steal our data, and hurt us by exploiting it.

What Can Be Done on the Chakshu Portal

You can use the Chakshu portal for the following purposes:

1. Review the details of all authorized wireline Internet service providers.
2. Report lost or stolen cell phones so that they can either be traced or blocked.
3. Report any incoming international calls that have Indian phone numbers shown on the caller ID.
4. Check all phone connections that were established under your name and report, and block any numbers that are superfluous or unauthorized.

How to Use the Chakshu Portal

Follow the following steps to register a complaint about fraud calls, SMS, or WhatsApp using the Chakshu portal:

Pre-requisites

1. Screenshot of the message or call showing the content and any relevant details.
2. Date and time when you received the message or call.

Steps To Follow

• Step 1: Go to the website: https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/
• Step 2: On the homepage, you'll find a form to enter details.
• Step 3: Click on "Chakshu" from the list of "Citizen Centric Services" available.
• After reading the disclaimer, select "Continue to Reporting".
• Step 4: Choose the category of the fraud, attach a screenshot, and provide full details of the fraud.
• Step 6: Enter personal details, such as phone number.
• Step 7: Verify phone number via OTP (One Time Password).
• Step 6: Submit the complaint.

What is a Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP)

Alongside Chaksku, the Department of Telecom also introduced the Digital Intelligence Platform, which will make it easier for law enforcement agencies, banks, and other financial institutions to share information and combat online fraud. Digital Intelligence Platform's and Chakshu's joint efforts are expected to improve cyber fraud identification and prevention.

Conclusion

Almost 40% of the world's digital payments happen in India. But, with the increasing use of digital payments, online fraud is also increasing. To fight cyber fraud, the Indian government launched the Chakshu portal and Digital Intelligence Platform as part of the Sanchar Sathi initiative. The Chakshu portal is designed to protect us from fraudulent calls and messages. Citizens can report suspected or unsolicited messages, via phone, SMS, or WhatsApp, to Chakshu. These communications could be related to financial fraud, impersonation, cybercrime, lottery offers, loans, jobs, mobile tower installation, service disconnections, KYC updates, loans, etcetera.