Agencies get tools to trace call spoofing

Cyber criminals can no longer mask the numbers they call from

Cyber criminals and underworld mafia can no longer hide behind ‘call spoofing,’ as investigating agencies have secured equipment to trace such calls, and also those being placed via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) where the caller’s number is masked.

Call spoofing allows the caller to hide his identity and use someone’s mobile number to mislead the target.

Only those calling from countries which have not yet signed the Mutual Legal Agreement Treaty with India are difficult to trace.

The official from the department of telecom said, “In the last three years, we have tightened the requirements for Internet Service Providers.

“We are tracing the culprits based on the Internet Protocol address utilised for VoIP calls.”

He said, agencies like Intelligence, Counter Intelligence, CID and Task Force have been equipped with sophisticated tools to identify the callers.

Sub-inspector U. Madhan of the social media/hacking unit of the Hyderabad Central crime Station said that they had identified culprits who adopted call spoofing to threaten prominent persons in the city in two cases.

A third case was under investigation as the call had been routed through a French telecom, and India does not have an MLAT with France.

A source from the home department said that investigations were being prolonged as they had to pass different stages like obtaining prosecution orders followed by getting approval from the Union ministry of home affairs and securing the support of agencies in other countries.

THOSE calling from countries which have not yet signed the Mutual Legal Agreement Treaty with India are difficult to trace.