Vodafone Idea (Vi) does not call users to make any technical upgrades to their mobiles. This is a warning that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is sending out to users across the nation. The telecom regulator has warned users that if they receive such calls, be cautious of them since they are fraud in nature and might also attract unusually high call charges. TRAI has specifically pointed out Vi in the message and didn’t mention the names of any other operators. However, it is worth noting that none of the operators call their users to make technical upgrades on their mobile devices. It might be possible that TRAI is only sending this message to the Vi users at the moment. If you are a Vi subscriber or purchase telecom services from any other operator, remember that none of them will ever call you to make changes to your mobile devices.
Be Careful of Online Frauds: COAI
Several frauds have come to light in the past few weeks. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had earlier issued a notice in association with the Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) that users must be careful against the fake tower installation that’s going in the country. The fraudsters were approaching the public and asking them to pay a nominal fee for tax purposes so that they can install a mobile tower in their home for which they will lease the property. However, it is worth remembering that only the operators who have permission from the state/union governments along with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) can install the towers. In another letter, COAI was cautioning the public to stay safe from WhatsApp messages and links that are offering free mobile recharges for study purposes. The letter said that the government didn’t announce any such scheme, and clicking on such links might result in loss of data for the user. Further, the industry body is asking people not to believe in the claims that 5G is boosting the pandemic. The 5G trials haven’t even started in India, and there are other countries that already have commercial 5G networks, but the pandemic is settling down. There is no correlation between 5G and the pandemic.
