Check SIM Misuse via TAFCOP on Sanchar Saathi 2026

Someone in Karnataka discovered five SIM cards active in her name - she had applied for only two. All five were found using a single free visit to TAFCOP, the government tool under the Sanchar Saathi initiative. She reported three as “This is not my number.” All three were flagged for re-verification and the connections she had not taken were disconnected.

For what to do if a fraudster has already used a SIM linked to you, see SIM swap fraud recovery.

TAFCOP stands for Telecom Analytics for Fraud Management and Consumer Protection. It is a service run by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, and is available through the Sanchar Saathi portal at sancharsaathi.gov.in. The service lets any subscriber see how many mobile connections are currently registered in their name across all telecom operators in India, and flag connections they do not recognise.

The Sanchar Saathi portal also hosts CEIR (to block a lost handset by IMEI) and Chakshu (to report fraud calls, SMS, and WhatsApp messages). TAFCOP is the specific tool under “Know Mobile Connections in Your Name.”

1. Open a browser and go to tafcop.sancharsaathi.gov.in. The page loads a plain login form.
2. Enter your 10-digit mobile number - use a number already working in your name.
3. Click “Request OTP.” An OTP arrives on that number within a few seconds.
4. Enter the OTP and click “Validate.”
5. The dashboard shows a list of all mobile connections registered under the Aadhaar linked to that mobile number.

Each row in the list shows the mobile number and its status. The total connections are counted at the top.

For each number in the list, you can choose one of three actions:

• Required - the number is yours and you want to keep it. No action is needed; this is the default.
• Not Required - the number is registered to you (perhaps an old SIM from a family member or a number you no longer need) but you want it closed. The operator will initiate a re-verification and close the connection if the subscriber cannot confirm use.
• This is not my number - you did not take this connection and it appears fraudulently linked to your identity. Use this for any number you genuinely do not recognise.

Select the checkbox next to the unknown number, choose the appropriate option, and click Report. The portal assigns a reference ID for that request. Save this reference ID - you will need it to track the complaint status later.

The complaint is sent to the relevant telecom operator, which then re-verifies the subscriber on that connection. The official re-verification timeline confirmed on sancharsaathi.gov.in is:

• Outgoing services on the flagged number are suspended within 30 days.
• Incoming services are suspended within 45 days.
• The connection is fully disconnected within 60 days if it fails re-verification.

An additional 30 days may be allowed where the subscriber on that number is on international roaming, has a physical disability, or is hospitalised.

If the connection was genuinely yours but registered incorrectly (for example, a retailer mis-linked it to your ID), the subscriber on that number can contact their operator during re-verification to correct the records.

Log back into tafcop.sancharsaathi.gov.in using the same mobile number and OTP. Go to the status section to check the reference ID you received when you submitted the report. Status categories you may see include: “Under Process,” “Re-verification Initiated,” and “Disconnected.”

If the status has not changed after 60 days, raise a written complaint with the Telecom Service Provider's nodal officer. Every licensed telecom operator is required to have a published nodal officer contact and must respond to complaints in writing.

Under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 (which came into effect from June 26, 2024), an individual subscriber can hold a maximum of 9 mobile connections across all telecom operators in India. In Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and the North-Eastern states, the limit is 6 connections.

If the TAFCOP dashboard shows you are over this limit and you did not take those connections, that is a strong signal of identity misuse. Report the excess connections immediately as “This is not my number.”

If someone called you, sent SMS, or used WhatsApp pretending to be DoT, a bank, TRAI, or a government official - and used a mobile number you believe is fraudulent - you can also report it separately using Chakshu, also on the Sanchar Saathi portal at sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/. Chakshu is specifically for reporting suspected fraud communications. You can report a call, SMS, or WhatsApp message received within the last 30 days.

According to a government statement in the Rajya Sabha on February 5, 2026, 7.7 lakh suspected fraud communications have been reported via Chakshu since launch (over 5.19 lakh in 2025 alone). Action taken as a result: 39.43 lakh mobile connections disconnected, 2.27 lakh mobile handsets blacklisted, and 1.31 lakh SMS templates blocked.

TAFCOP and Chakshu are preventive tools. If a SIM registered in your name was already used for financial fraud or to harass someone, you need to act on multiple fronts:

1. File a cybercrime complaint at cybercrime.gov.in or call the national cybercrime helpline at 1930.
2. File a police First Information Report (FIR) at your local police station.
3. Inform your bank immediately if the number is linked to any account or UPI ID.
4. Keep the TAFCOP reference ID, the FIR number, and all bank/UPI communication as evidence.

For the complete recovery process after SIM swap fraud, see SIM swap fraud recovery. For blocking a lost or stolen SIM card itself, see Block a lost or stolen SIM card. For SIM KYC or swap procedures with your operator, see SIM stopped, swap, and KYC recovery.

• Using unofficial lookalike sites. The only official portal is tafcop.sancharsaathi.gov.in. Sites with similar names that ask for Aadhaar number or OTP directly are fraudulent.
• Sharing the OTP with anyone. TAFCOP only ever sends an OTP to YOUR mobile number and asks you to enter it yourself on the portal. No government caller will ask you to read the OTP aloud.
• Reporting “Not Required” when you mean fraud. “Not Required” is for connections you acknowledge and want closed voluntarily. “This is not my number” is for connections you did not authorise - the operator investigation is deeper in that case.
• Not saving the reference ID. Once you leave the portal session, the reference ID is your only way to track the request. Screenshot it or write it down before closing.
• Assuming the portal shows SIM cards linked to Aadhaar directly. TAFCOP shows connections linked to the Aadhaar that is associated with the mobile number you log in with. If you have multiple Aadhaar-linked mobile numbers, check each one separately.

Yes. There is no fee to log in, view your connections, or submit a report. The portal is operated by the Department of Telecommunications. You only need a working mobile number to receive the login OTP.

The Telecommunications Act 2023 sets the national individual limit at 9 connections (6 in J&K, Assam, and the North-East). If the dashboard shows more than the allowed limit and you did not take those connections, mark the extras as “This is not my number” immediately. Telecom operators are required to enforce these limits and re-verify connections that exceed them.

Log back into tafcop.sancharsaathi.gov.in with the same mobile number and check status using the reference ID. The official timeline is: outgoing services suspended within 30 days, incoming within 45 days, and full disconnection within 60 days if the connection fails re-verification.

Only the subscriber verified via OTP on the portal can submit reports. Since the OTP is sent to your own registered number, another person cannot file a report on your connections without access to your phone. If your SIM is blocked for another reason, contact your telecom operator's nodal officer directly for re-verification.

Select “Not Required” for that number. The operator initiates re-verification. If that number is no longer actively used in your name, it will be disconnected. This is also good practice to reduce your SIM count before it reaches the legal limit.

TAFCOP lets you see and report mobile connections registered in your name. CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register) lets you block a specific mobile handset by its IMEI number if it is lost or stolen - regardless of which SIM is in it. Both tools are on sancharsaathi.gov.in. Use TAFCOP for SIM identity misuse; use CEIR for a stolen handset.

• SIM Swap Fraud Recovery
• Block a Lost or Stolen SIM Card
• SIM Stopped, Swap, and KYC Recovery

Want to write a formal complaint or use RTI to track what action was taken? The RTI Playbook walks you through the full process step by step.

• Used phone IMEI database check 2025