The Union government has informed the Supreme Court that linking WhatsApp accounts to active SIM cards could significantly reduce the incidence of so-called “digital arrest” scams, a growing category of cyber fraud in which victims are coerced through impersonation and threats of legal action.
Making submissions before the Court, the Centre explained that SIM-binding—a process that ensures a messaging account remains continuously connected to the SIM card associated with the registered mobile number—would help curb misuse of over-the-top communication platforms by cybercriminals. According to the government, fraudsters often exploit foreign, cloned or deactivated SIM cards to impersonate Indian authorities, making detection and enforcement difficult.
The Centre further apprised the Court of steps taken by the Department of Telecommunications to block international calls that falsely appear to originate from Indian numbers. These spoofed calls, frequently used in digital arrest scams, are now being filtered at international gateways. The government stated that this intervention has led to a sharp reduction in such calls in recent months.
Digital arrest scams typically involve criminals posing as law-enforcement or government officials and contacting victims via calls or messaging platforms such as WhatsApp. Victims are falsely informed that they are under investigation and are pressured into transferring money to avoid arrest or prosecution. The Centre submitted that enhanced authentication requirements on messaging applications could disrupt this modus operandi.
The SIM-binding requirement forms part of broader regulatory measures introduced to strengthen telecom and cyber security. Under these measures, messaging platforms are required to ensure that user accounts remain tied to the SIM card present in the device on which the application is used. The government argued that this would make it harder for fraudsters to operate accounts remotely or through multiple devices without detection.
The Supreme Court is examining these submissions in the context of its ongoing scrutiny of rising cybercrime incidents. The Court has previously directed coordination among central agencies, including the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Telecommunications, to develop standard operating procedures for preventing fraud, tracing perpetrators and assisting victims.
While acknowledging concerns around implementation and user convenience, the Centre maintained that stronger safeguards are necessary in light of the increasing sophistication of cybercrime. It emphasised that SIM-binding and allied measures strike a balance between user privacy and the need to protect citizens from large-scale financial fraud.
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