Fact-Check: Fake Notice Attributed To BSNL Claims TRAI Has Suspended SIMs KYC

BSNL has released no information or circulars which support the claim.

Fact-Check: This notice is fake.

(Source: The Quint) 

A social media post citing a purported notice by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has claimed that its SIM's (Subscriber Identity Module) Know Your Customer (KYC) had been suspended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). It also mentioned that the SIM card would be blocked within 24 hours.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is this true?: No, this claim is false.

• We were unable to find any credible evidence for this information.

• The Press Information Bureau’s Fact-Check unit also stated that the purported notice was fake.

What we found: At first, we ran a relevant keyword search using the words in the social media post and came across a post by PIB fact-check on X (formerly Twitter).

• It stated that the notice was fake and BSNL never sends out such messages.

• The keyword search also led us to public notice released by BSNL, which was posted on PIB’s website in 2021.

• It mentioned a message similar to the claims. BSNL clarified that it was not linked to any such messages. They advised customers to “It is requested to ignore such message and not Share any KYC data related to customers’ personal & Bank details.”

It stated that the messages were fraudulent and related to phishing.

(Source: PIB/Screenshot) 

• Additionally, we were unable to find any evidence to support the claim.

Conclusion: The notice by BSNL in the social media posts is fake.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)