How to check how many SIM cards are issued in your name, and cut off the ones you don't know

AI-generated illustration by CyberShitty. Not a photograph or a document from the organisations named.

A SIM taken in your name can be used for fraud calls, for receiving OTPs, or to open bank and wallet accounts, and the trail leads back to you. The Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi service "Know mobile connections in your name" lists every connection registered against your identity with all telecom operators, after you log in with your own mobile number.

You can mark any connection as not yours, or as one you no longer need. The operator then asks that subscriber to re-verify; connections that are not re-verified are cut off.

Use it when

• Your Aadhaar, PAN or other ID was leaked, lost or photocopied somewhere you do not trust.
• You were told a number in your name was used in a crime, or you received messages meant for a number you do not own.
• You want to close old connections you no longer use.
• As a routine check, once in a while.

Not the right tool when

• Blocking a lost or stolen phone: use CEIR on Sanchar Saathi.
• Reporting a scam call or SMS: use Chakshu.
• Money already lost: call 1930.

Keep this ready

• One working mobile number that is in your name, to receive the OTP

Step by step

1. Open "Know mobile connections in your name" on sancharsaathi.gov.in, or the same option in the Sanchar Saathi app.
2. Enter your 10-digit mobile number and the captcha, then the OTP you receive, and log in.
3. Go through the list of connections shown in your name.
4. For any number you did not take, choose "This is not my number". For a number that is yours but you no longer need, choose "Not required".
5. Submit the report.

What happens next

• The operator is told to re-verify each connection you reported. Re-verification checks the subscriber's photo and an identity document and can be done digitally.
• If a flagged connection is not re-verified, its outgoing calls are suspended within 30 days, incoming within 45 days, and it is disconnected within 60 days. Extra time can be given to people on international roaming, in hospital or with a disability.
• A flagged number cannot be ported to another operator until re-verification is complete.
• If a connection turns out to have been taken on forged documents, a police complaint is filed against that subscriber.

Know the limits

• One person may hold at most 9 mobile connections across all operators, and 6 in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the North Eastern states. Connections over the limit are disconnected in the order they were activated.
• Using SIMs beyond the notified number is a civil offence under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, with a penalty of up to ₹50,000 the first time and up to ₹2 lakh for each repeat.
• Connections cannot be handed over to someone else. A change of name is allowed only between blood relatives or legal heirs, with a new SIM.
• This check shows connections; it does not tell you who is using them.

Numbers to know

• Sanchar Saathi helpdesk (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm): 011-20907480
• Money lost to cyber fraud: 1930

Related guides

• SIM binding, IMEI crackdown and Sanchar Saathi: where India's telecom anti-fraud rules stand
• Phone suddenly shows no service? What to do about SIM-swap and eSIM fraud in India
• Aadhaar or PAN leaked in a data breach? How to lock it down and check for misuse