DoT Launches ‘Financial Fraud Risk Indicator’ to Bolster Cybersecurity and Prevent Digital Scams.

On May 21, 2025, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the Ministry of Communications (MoC), introduced the “Financial Fraud Risk Indicators (FRI)” initiative. This marks a significant step towards strengthening the cyber fraud prevention framework in India, by enabling timely and intelligent decision-making across digital financial systems.

      - The FRI is a multi-dimensional analytical tool developed under DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP). It is designed to provide actionable intelligence to financial institutions, helping them detect and respond to cyber fraud risks effectively, based on real-time data insights.

      - FRI classifies mobile numbers into three risk categories: Medium, High, and Very High. These ratings are determined by analyzing inputs from sources such as the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), DoT’s Chakshu platform, and intelligence from banks and financial institutions.

      - This initiative enables banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Unified Payment Interface (UPI) providers to take proactive enforcement steps. By identifying and prioritizing high-risk numbers, institutions can implement preventive controls to safeguard customers from cyber and financial fraud.

Main Point :-   (i) The Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) regularly shares the Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL) with stakeholders. This list includes mobile numbers disconnected due to reasons like cybercrime, failed re-verification, or exceeding usage limits. Flagged numbers are then analyzed and classified based on their risk levels.

      (ii) Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platforms such as PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm leverage the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) system to restrict or delay transactions linked to high-risk mobile numbers. This proactive step aims to safeguard users from potential financial fraud by flagging suspicious activity.

(iii) Bengaluru-based PhonePe has become one of the first adopters of the FRI system. Through its “PhonePe Protect” feature, it blocks transactions tied to mobile numbers marked with a “Very High” risk rating and issues on-screen alerts to warn users and prevent fraud.
About Ministry of Communications (MoC)