{"id":372425,"date":"2026-09-23T15:35:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T10:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=372425"},"modified":"2026-09-23T15:35:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T10:05:53","slug":"imei-tampering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/imei-tampering\/","title":{"rendered":"IMEI Tampering"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"content-box-green\">\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> The Government has reiterated that tampering with IMEI numbers is punishable under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"red-h2-box\">About IMEI Tampering<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_372430\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-372430\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-372430\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Source-PIB-5.jpg?resize=300%2C257&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"IMEI Tampering\" width=\"300\" height=\"257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Source-PIB-5.jpg?resize=300%2C257&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Source-PIB-5.jpg?w=471&amp;ssl=1 471w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-372430\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source &#8211; PIB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI):<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Unique Identity:<\/strong> IMEI is a <strong>15-digit number<\/strong> used to <strong>identify a mobile device on a mobile network.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>first eight digits form the Type Allocation Code (TAC),<\/strong> which <strong>identifies the device model or type.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>A dual-SIM phone <strong>generally has two IMEI numbers<\/strong>, one for each SIM slot.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Function :<\/strong> It helps <strong>verify a device<\/strong> when users make calls or use the Internet through mobile networks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>TAC Allocation: <\/strong>The global allocation of TAC is managed by the <strong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style=\"font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);\">GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>IMEI Tampering:<\/strong> It involves <strong>intentionally removing, changing or altering the unique identification number<\/strong> of a mobile device or using equipment configured for such alteration.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tracking Mechanism:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Central Equipment Identity Register (CIER):<\/strong> The CIER categorises <strong>devices into white, grey and black lists<\/strong> based on <strong>their IMEI status.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"162\" data-end=\"225\"><strong data-start=\"164\" data-end=\"179\">White List:<\/strong> Devices permitted for <strong data-start=\"202\" data-end=\"224\">normal network use<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"226\" data-end=\"322\"><strong data-start=\"228\" data-end=\"242\">Grey List:<\/strong> Devices that <strong data-start=\"256\" data-end=\"321\">do not conform to standards but may connect under supervision<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"323\" data-end=\"403\"><strong data-start=\"325\" data-end=\"340\">Black List:<\/strong> Devices reported <strong data-start=\"358\" data-end=\"402\">lost or stolen and denied network access<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sanchar Saathi:<\/strong> <strong>Citizens can verify IMEI details<\/strong>, including the brand, model and manufacturer, through the Sanchar Saathi platform.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Threat of IMEI Tampering:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Financial Fraud:<\/strong> <strong>Cloned IMEIs can mask the identity<\/strong> of bad actors, <strong>enabling cyber fraud, phishing and parallel banking rackets.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Disrupting Law Enforcement:<\/strong> <strong>Altered IMEIs can make it difficult for police and intelligence agencies to track<\/strong> stolen devices and criminal networks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enabling SIM Boxing: <\/strong>Criminal syndicates <strong>can use SIM boxes with tampered or configurable IMEIs to reroute international calls as local traffic.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This <strong>can bypass official gateways<\/strong> and cause <strong>revenue loss to the government.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"content-box-yellow\">\n<h2>IMEI Regulatory Framework<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Telecommunications Act, 2023:<\/strong> <strong>Section 42(3)(c) prohibits tampering<\/strong> with telecommunication identifiers, <strong>including IMEI numbers.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Punishment:<\/strong> Violation may attract <strong>up to three years\u2019 imprisonment<\/strong>, a fine <strong>up to \u20b950 lakh, or both.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Such offences are <strong>cognizable and non-bailable.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024:<\/strong> <strong>Manufacturers must register IMEIs of devices made in India before sale, testing, research or other use.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Importers:<\/strong> They <strong>must register IMEIs before importing<\/strong> devices into India.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Registration:<\/strong> The <strong>process is completed through the Device Setu\u2013ICDR portal.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Telecom Cyber Security Amendment Rules, 2025:<\/strong> The <strong>Centre can direct manufacturers not to reassign IMEIs already active in Indian telecom networks.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Network Blocking:<\/strong> Telecom operators <strong>may be directed to block devices<\/strong> with tampered IMEIs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second-hand Devices:<\/strong> <strong>Sellers must verify IMEIs<\/strong> through the central database of blacklisted or tampered devices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News: The Government has reiterated that tampering with IMEI numbers is punishable under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. About IMEI Tampering International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI): Unique Identity: IMEI is a 15-digit number used to identify a mobile device on a mobile network.\u00a0 The first eight digits form the Type Allocation Code (TAC), which identifies the&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/imei-tampering\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">IMEI Tampering<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1566,1760,1738,12039],"tags":[11872],"class_list":["post-372425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-factly-articles","category-polity-and-nation","category-science-and-technology-daily-factly-articles","category-knolls","tag-9pm-daily-factly","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372425\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}