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The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) recently took a step to tackle the increase in online fraud cases across the country. They have made it mandatory for telecom operators to deactivate USSD-based call forwarding services nationwide from April 15, 2024, in response to several fraud incidents arising from illegal call forwarding.
“It has been decided by the competent authority that all licensees will discontinue existing USSD-based forwarding services with effect from April 15, 2024 until further notice,” the notice said. message from the DoT.
What is USSD Call Forwarding?
USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) call forwarding is a feature on phones that allows you to redirect incoming calls from one number to another. Instead of using settings, you can dial specific codes (*401#) on your phone to activate or deactivate it. It is useful for functions such as checking balances, obtaining device information such as IMEI, forwarding calls to another phone or sending them to voicemail.
Why is USSD call forwarding deactivated?
The decision comes in response to growing concerns about fraudulent activities and misuse of the call forwarding feature, as well as the increasing number of online scams.
How does this affect users?
If you currently have call forwarding activated on your number, you will need to reactivate it once the service is suspended. The DoT stated that users will have to use alternative methods to activate call forwarding, although these methods have not yet been specified. Telecom companies will now have to provide alternative ways for users to manage call forwarding.
Since the DOT only requested the suspension of the service and not its permanent removal, there are speculations that the system could be reintroduced in the future in a more secure form, with better security measures to prevent misuse and fraud.