Stay scam-free: This series of phone numbers will help you spot fraud calls

In a bid to deal with the rising instances of phone call-based fraud, the Centre has issued a separate 10-digit number series to help people differentiate legitimate calls from fake ones.

The Department of Telecom has designated the prefix ‘160’ for 10-digit numbers, which will be utilised by government agencies, regulatory bodies, and financial institutions to communicate with the public.

The official note said, “It has been decided to allocate a separate numbering series 160 exclusively for service and transactional voice calls as per Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR) 2018.”