The Centre has blocked as many as 3,718 mobile applications, including fraudulent loan apps, over allegations of duping users, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The apps were blocked by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under Sections 69(A) and 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The action had been taken up to 30 June this year, Kumar said in a written reply to the House.
The government has also blocked more than 15.75 lakh SIM cards and 5.77 lakh International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers, based on reports received from various police authorities.
Kumar further said the I4C-managed Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS) had helped prevent substantial losses from financial cyber fraud.
Launched in 2021 to facilitate the immediate reporting of financial that fraud and enable swift intervention, the system has, until 30 June, helped save more than ₹11,158 crore from being siphoned off, according to the minister.
The amount was protected across more than 32.8 lakh complaints registered through the system.