No mobile phone service provider checks the veracity of documents before issuing a connection

'Forging' mobility

No mobile phone service provider checks the veracity of documents before issuing a connection

If you need a new mobile connection and don't have an identity proof, all you need is a good hand at Photoshop. To bring out the shortcomings in the verification process carried by most of the telecom companies, MID DAY managed to prepare four different fake driving licenses from one of the computer shops located in Noida. The same was used to purchase six new SIM cards from retail shops of three different telecom giants in Delhi.

Interestingly, all the six connections are still active and no verification has been done by any of the companies. The three numbers purchased were 8860104338 (Sim no. 89911100180002633478), 8826285068 (Sim no. 8991101001178675631) and 9718983298 (Sim no. 89910480710221438028) from Vodafone, Airtel and Idea respectively in one person's name. These three numbers have been active since Monday morning.

The shop owner from were the driving license was forged, scanned his driving license and edited the details using Photoshop. The name, address and place issued from were changed. Pictures of some unknown people were used and placed upon the original picture.

The date of birth was also changed to some imaginary date. In the case of prepaid SIM cards, it is observed that one cannot only buy, but also use these cards for making and receiving calls for a few days before the verification of documents.

Usually, verification of documents for a new prepaid SIM card takes one or two days and the subscriber can make and receive calls during this period. This may be used by anti-social elements for any purpose like extortion and even by militants for spreading terror.

Department of Telecom (DoT) in its survey in 2009 found that 10 per cent of the SIM cards bought were without valid papers. The department audit papers obtained by the operators from subscribers before issuing SIM cards on sample basis each month.

Recently, the telecom companies who had in the 90s given mobile connections without following strict identification norms requested the department to allow them to rectify their records so that they do not keep on paying heavy penalty.

They asked the department to give some time for re-verification of their records. Thereafter, the DoT gave telecom operators time till December 31, 2010 to re-verify credentials of mobile subscribers maintaining that correct records with the operators is also in national interest.

When MiD DAY confronted the telecom operators with the loopholes in their system none of them accepted the flaw at their end and clarified that they follow stringent verification guidelines as drafted by DoT.

A spokesperson for Idea said, "Idea has maintained high standards of compliance by putting in place appropriate systems to ensure that we meet the verification norms." While other two companies did not respond to the queries repeatedly e-mailed to them.

Experts agreed that the rot runs deep. "This is hard to believe that a new connection can get activated within few hours. Each telecom operators have agreement with the distributors which is further expanded to the retailer level for the new connection.

At the time of new connection it is the duty of the retailer to check the original driving license/passport with the photocopy of the same and after verifying the both he can issue a connection," said an official from Department of Telecommunication.

"The SIM does not get active immediately. Documents furnished by the customer are sent to the distributors, who have their own mechanism to check their authenticity. The process takes around two to three days only after that the number gets activated. The government has also set up a cell that can run the checks on the operators and violations are met with punitive action," SC Khanna, secretary general, Association of Unified Service Providers (AUSP).

"Last month, the DoT draft norms, circulated in consultation with the Home Ministry, had asked all mobile operators to re-verify the documents of over 70 crore mobile connections in the country and the new process is going to be all the more stringent," he added.

Verification guidelines

The authorised person at the point of sale shall record in the application form that he has seen the subscriber and verified his documents with the original. In this regard licensee shall ensure that the point of sale is suitably advised of his responsibility and consequently liabilities in the matter.

The connections are activated only after the requirement of filing up of customer acquisition form and copies of documentary proof as per requirement have been fulfilled by the customer, for this purpose, the licensee company's authorized representative (who is directly accountable to the licensee company) shall verify that all the documentary requirement has been completed before activating the SIM card.

After March 31, 2007, if any subscriber's number is found working without proper verification, a minimum penalty of Rs 1000 per violation of subscriber number verification shall be levied on the licensee apart from immediate disconnection of the subscriber number by the licensee.

New norms

In a move prompted by security concerns, the government has proposed much tougher norms for the issue and verification of new mobile connections.

For starters, the government has proposed to do away with the concept of pre-activated SIM cards. Also these cards will no longer be sold off the counters.

In fact they are going to be mailed to the customers after due verification. The liability of both the user as well as the company is going to increase.

Any violation on the part of the company or the SIM card holder, whether it is activation or deactivation is going to attract a fine of Rs 50,000.

For foreigners, who wish to get a mobile phone connection in India, will have to go to the counters with their visas as well as their passports. And, the validity of their SIM card is going to be linked to the duration of their visas.

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