In late 2025, TRAI had ordered all caller ID apps to whitelist both the 140 and 1600 series. This meant that apps like Trucaller were asked not to attach spam labels to the numbers belonging to these designated series.

Jhunjhunwala now says that the move has inadvertently made the number series available to scammers and spammers, who have allegedly started exploiting the system.

“The aim of the designated series (140/1600) was to create a channel that is trusted, and what has happened is they’ve created a channel which is distrusted,” Jhunjhunwala told Financial Express.

“I don’t see how that is pro-consumer. I also don’t see how this is anti-spammer; consumers are suffering because they’re getting spammed, and spammers are happy that it’s whitelisted on Truecaller,” he added.

Jhunjhunwala said he had warned early on about the risks of whitelisting the number series, telling regulators that “this is going to cause problems.”

He said that without gatekeeping apps such as Truecaller, spammers would eventually get hold of these numbers because they are whitelisted and therefore appear more trustworthy to consumers.

“Spammers are really enjoying themselves with 140 and 1600 numbers,” he said.

Truecaller can no longer label 140 and 1600 numbers as spam

Truecaller CEO said that the calls from 140 and 1600 numbers will never be displayed with a red “Spam” warning on the app as the company’s compliance with the TRAI order remains in force.

He said, “This is what we did as whitelisting and the numbers will not carry any labels on the app.”

Jhunjhunwala said that TRAI is now seeking authority over caller ID platforms and has approached the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

“We are bound by the IT Act; that’s who regulates us. They are seeking powers from MeitY to have the authority to direct us to do anything that they want,” Jhunjhunwala said.

He added that Truecaller operated based on consumer preferences and has around 350 million users in India. At the same time, he alleged that TRAI is trying to expand its authority over platforms like Truecaller.

While the Truecaller CEO said that the new enforcement could allow spammers to obtain and misuse of these numbers, TRAI defended its framework.

The regulator said under India’s Do Not Disturb (DND) system, customers can choose which types of promotional calls they want to receive and which sectors they want to block or allow.

It said that tagging third parties “can mislead a customer who has otherwise allowed receipt of such calls from a sector.”

Consumers are losing trust in spam detection

Jhunjhunwala said the company has been receiving a large number of spam reports and that he himself had been receiving spam calls from 1600 numbers.

According to the data presented by the Truecaller CEO, around 80 per cent of calls from the 140 and 1600 series go unanswered. Users manually block nearly 4 lakh calls a day from the 140 series and around 1.25 lakh calls a day from the 1600 series.

“Consumers are saying, what is wrong with Truecaller? Truecaller is not working anymore. I trusted this product for 17 years, and now suddenly they’re saying this is not spam when it’s clearly spam,” Jhunjhunwalav said, describing the company’s challenges following the change.

Jhunjhunwala said the ability to identify spam calls is a consumer right.

“If consumers all over India say that this number is spam, we show it as spam to the next person,” he said.

He added that consumers should be allowed to continue exercising that right and said that the system is based on user reports rather than a company-controlled algorithm.