Indians are getting duped of hard-earned money by the fraudsters claiming to install mobile towers on the premises of the people and pay rent against it. Thinking of it as an opportunity to earn extra income, people usually give in to the bait of these fraudsters. These fraudsters ask people to pay up a small deposit in their personal or company accounts in the name of government tax for leasing their premises for the installation of mobile towers. To make the deal seem authentic, these fraudsters also offer the individuals a fake ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology. Note that the mobile towers in India are set up only by the infrastructure providers (IPs) or the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) also has an updated list of companies that can set up mobile towers which they mentioned on the telecom department’s website. So before accepting the offer from any individual or a company, check if the organisation which has approached you is present on the list or not.
DIPA and COAI Warn Public of Mobile Tower Installation Fraud
T R Dua, Director General, DIPA (Digital Infrastructure Providers Association) said that mobile towers are installed in India by companies such as Summit Digital Infrastructure, Indus Towers, American Tower Corporation, Tower Vision and Ascend Telecom. DIPA has been actively publishing a public notice in newspapers for keeping the public alert and curbing the tower frauds. S P Kochhar, DG, COAI said that the public being cheated by fraudsters is causing a trust deficit in the country as well as insecurity towards the team personnel working on the ground to build a robust communication network. For any help with this matter, consumers can call the helpline number from anywhere in India by dialling 1800114000 or 14404. So the next time there is someone on your premises claiming to install a mobile tower and asking for a small deposit, ensure that they are authentic.
