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If calls from the 1600 or 140 series appear with a 'Blocked' tag on Truecaller, you might soon see a change. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has asked Truecaller to remove such labels. The regulator believes that such tags can mislead people and create mistrust regarding important banking or government calls.

Why did TRAI object?
According to a senior TRAI official, applying a 'Blocked' tag to regulated number series like 140 and 1600 is inappropriate. This can lead users to assume these calls are spam, even though they often contain critical banking, financial, and government information. The regulator states that such labeling could undermine public trust in legitimate calls made under telecom regulations.

Advice to use the DND app
TRAI has suggested that instead of tagging specific numbers as spam, Truecaller should inform users that they can block unwanted promotional calls from the 140 series using TRAI's official 'Do Not Disturb (DND) Preference Management App.' TRAI believes that raising awareness about the DND system is a more effective solution, as it allows customers to control their calling preferences themselves.

What are the 1600 and 140 number series used for?
TRAI has specifically designated the 1600 number series for service and transactional calls within the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector.

These numbers are used by institutions that fall under the purview of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). Additionally, the government uses this series to convey essential information to citizens.

Meanwhile, numbers in the '140' series are primarily designated for promotional calls made by registered companies across various sectors.

**Risk of Missing Important Calls**
TRAI has warned that if such tags persist on '1600' series numbers, people might avoid answering them. This could lead to missing critical information such as fraud alerts, banking transaction verifications, OTP-related details, account notifications, and government messages.

**What Did Truecaller Say?**
On the other hand, Truecaller states that there has been a rise in spam calls following TRAI's implementation of dedicated number series like '140' and '1600', and the restriction preventing caller ID apps from displaying community-reported spam information for these numbers.
The company claims that many users have started ignoring or blocking calls from these numbers, which has impacted legitimate business communication and eroded customer trust.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Amar Ujala. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.