Mobile Users Could Face Bank OTP Failures From November 1: Why This Might Happen

The start of November could spell disaster for millions of mobile users in India who might see their bank OTPs and delivery OTPs fail. Without OTPs you cannot authorise the payments or pick up your online delivery. This is going to be a nightmare that might happen much sooner than you imagined.

New report claims that after October 31, the mobile operators could have a hard time authorising third-party messages without the revised spam policy from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India or TRAI.

Block SMS But Why?

The Economic Times report had mentioned that the new TRAI spam regulations require the telcos to register companies that offer OTPs and vital information while blocking any SMS that you get with URLs and Android app APK files that can be a malware threat. Many people have been caught napping with such SMSs in the country, who inadvertently click these links and enable hackers to access their devices and use data to steal money and other private information.

End Of The Spam Menace?

The telcos have to assign them a new message template which will be readable and that’s the only way these SMSs will pass through the stringent checks. The details also include URLs and phone numbers that are added in certain services, and if they are not whitelisted, these messages will be blocked by the network.

These headers are usually what you see at the top of an SMS like a subject line for banks, payment operators, and even the likes of Zomato or Uber. The messages will be read using a reliable technology to make sure no commercial message goes through which can be dangerous.

The telcos and company have sought multiple extensions which have already been granted by the TRAI but latest reports claim many are yet to fully comply with the new rules. Whitelisting can become a tricky business if not fully adopted, so it might eventually roll over to early 2025 rather than create a problem for millions of phone users if the roll out happens in November.