Official calls from banks, government agencies and service providers in Kazakhstan will soon become easily identifiable. The name of the calling organization will be displayed on the recipient’s phone screen, enabling users to distinguish legitimate calls from fraudulent ones more effectively.
How the new system will work
As part of new measures to combat telephone fraud, Kazakhstan will introduce mandatory caller identification for official organizations. During an incoming call, subscribers will see the name of the bank, government agency or company making the call displayed on their smartphone screen.
The initiative was announced by Vice Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Doszhan Mussaliyev during a press briefing at the Central Communications Service. According to the Vice Minister, caller identification will allow users to immediately recognize that the call originates from an authorized organization.
“Caller identification has been introduced for mobile subscriber devices to enable subscribers to distinguish official calls from fraudulent ones. Official calls from banks, service providers and other authorized organizations will be displayed on the recipient’s device screen,” Doszhan Mussaliyev said.
According to the Vice Minister, the legislation has been supplemented with nearly 90 new provisions aimed at strengthening security and enhancing the protection of subscribers’ rights.
Additional regulatory changes
Alongside caller identification, Kazakhstan will introduce licensing requirements for operators providing Internet access, IP telephony and trunked communication services. The Ministry expects these measures to improve the quality, reliability and security of telecommunications services.
The legislation also introduces additional consumer protection measures. Subscribers will be able to opt out of promotional and informational communications from telecommunications operators through a simplified procedure and will also be able to disable automated outbound calling services.
Another amendment concerns the activation of additional services. From now on, any paid telecommunications or Internet service may only be activated following dual confirmation by the subscriber.
According to Doszhan Mussaliyev, the law containing the relevant amendments has already been signed by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and will enter into force at the end of August.
Protecting against phone fraud
The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development emphasizes that caller identification is only one component of a broader framework designed to protect citizens from fraud.
“To combat fraud, the Government has introduced caller identification for official calls from banks and companies, licensing requirements for Internet service providers and IP telephony operators, simplified procedures for opting out of promotional communications and automated outbound calls, and a requirement that any additional paid telecommunications services may only be activated upon receiving dual subscriber consent.”
The Ministry also reminds citizens that banks, government agencies and mobile network operators never request SMS verification codes, PIN codes, passwords for online accounts or bank card details over the telephone.
Users are further advised to enable multi-factor authentication, use strong and unique passwords for different services, and avoid opening links received through suspicious messages. Even if a caller claims to represent a bank or a government institution, confidential information should never be disclosed over the phone.
