Stop spam calls with the TRAI DND app.

Last reviewed: 26 October 2026. Procedures and timelines change, so confirm on the official sites linked below.

Spam or fraud? Pick the right route

Step 1: Register for Do Not Disturb

1. Use the TRAI DND appInstall "TRAI DND 3.0" from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store (the publisher is TRAI). Sign in with your mobile number, then choose Fully blocked, or pick the categories you still want to receive, such as banking or health alerts.
2. Or use your phoneSend START 0 as an SMS to 1909 to block all promotional calls and messages, or call 1909 and follow the voice prompts.
3. Or use your operator's appMyJio, Airtel Thanks, the Vi app and others have a DND or preference setting.
4. Allow about seven daysYour preference takes a few days to reach every network. Complaints about senders who ignore it are most useful after that.

Step 2: Report every spam call or SMS within 7 days

Since TRAI's February 2025 amendment, you have 7 days from the call or message to complain. It used to be 3 days.

1. In the appOpen TRAI DND, choose to report a spam call or SMS, pick the number from your call log or messages, add a short description and submit. On an iPhone the app prepares a complaint SMS to 1909 for you, and you may need to switch on the app's extension in your phone settings.
2. Or by SMS or call to 1909Include four things: your own number, the spammer's number or SMS sender ID, the date, and a short description such as "loan offer call". A complaint with these details counts as valid.
3. Or through your operatorUse the complaint section of your operator's app or website.
4. Or on Sanchar SaathiThe Department of Telecommunications also accepts complaints on the Sanchar Saathi portal.
5. Keep your proofSave the complaint reference number and a screenshot of the call log or message. You will need them if you have to follow up.

What happens next

Your operator investigates and should tell you the outcome. TRAI's 2025 changes made action faster against senders who are not registered telemarketers: action can follow once five complaints arrive within ten days, and serious violators can have their numbers disconnected across operators for a year and be blacklisted.

Promotional calls should come from numbers starting with 140, not from ordinary 10-digit mobile numbers. A sales call from a normal mobile number is itself a red flag worth reporting.

The app is now the main route. TRAI reported that about 89% of the 1.085 million spam complaints received in April to June 2026 came through the DND app.

If nothing happens, who to contact

1. Follow up with your operatorCall customer care, quote your complaint reference number, and ask for the complaint to be reviewed again.
2. Appeal to the Appellate AuthorityEvery operator must run a two-step system: a complaint centre, then an Appellate Authority. The contact details for each operator are on tccms.gov.in, TRAI's complaint monitoring portal.
3. Know what TRAI does and does not doTRAI sets the rules and penalises operators. The Department of Telecommunications reported in February 2026 that TRAI had imposed financial disincentives of Rs 153.8 crore on operators for closing spam complaints in breach of the rules. But TRAI does not handle individual complaints itself, so your operator is always the first stop.
4. Consumer commission or helplineIf the operator's process fails, an individual can approach a consumer commission. The National Consumer Helpline, 1915, can guide you.

If it is fraud, not spam

• Report the call, SMS or WhatsApp message on Chakshu: sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc.
• If you lost money or shared an OTP, call 1930 at once and file at cybercrime.gov.in. Tell your bank too.
• Never share an OTP, PIN or CVV. Banks and the police do not ask for them.
• Never install an app or screen-sharing tool because a caller asked you to.
• Do not call back unknown numbers. Report them instead.

More detail is on our page about reporting a data breach or misuse.

Where did they get my number?

Ask the business that called. Under TRAI's rules, promotional calls and messages need your consent. Write to them to withdraw it and to delete your data. Once the DPDP Act's main provisions start, around 13 May 2027, you will have a statutory right to withdraw consent and request erasure. See Your Rights. In the meantime, think twice before giving your number on forms for freebies and discounts.

Quick reference