The mygyaan practical guide · India
Your phone.
Your time.
Not their sales target.
Stop unwanted bank, credit-card, loan and property sales calls. Take back control with DND registration, bank opt-outs and a proper spam complaint.
Start taking back controlFree guide · No sign-in required · No phone number collected here
“Just two minutes, sir.”
Again. And again.
You are in a meeting. Driving. Having lunch. Finally concentrating. The phone rings: a “pre-approved” loan, a lifetime-free credit card, an insurance pitch or a builder’s new launch. You say no. Another number calls.
The irritation is not just the offer. It is the interruption, the repetition, and the feeling that your number is being treated as an invitation. You can set a boundary without explaining your life to every sales caller.
A caller claiming to represent a bank may be an agent—or an impersonator. Do not assume the brand name proves who is calling. This guide does not allege that any listed institution made a particular unsolicited call.
01 / Set the boundary
Activate Do Not Disturb through 1909
TRAI’s National Customer Preference Register (NCPR), commonly called DND, lets you register which commercial calls and SMS you want to receive. Use your operator’s official service, the TRAI DND app or 1909. Save the confirmation and registration reference.
First, a correction: “BLOCK SPAM” is not a verified universal command.
Do not rely on a forwarded screenshot or search summary alone. The operator instructions checked for this guide use the commands below. If you use another operator, or a command is rejected, call 1909 and follow its current preference-registration instructions.
Jio · Officially documented SMS
START 0
Send to 1909 from the number you want to register.
Opens your phone’s messaging app. Review and send yourself; nothing is sent automatically. On a computer, copy the command to your phone.
Vi (Vodafone Idea) · Officially documented SMS
FULLY BLOCK
Send to 1909 from the number you want to register.
Opens your phone’s messaging app. Review and send yourself; nothing is sent automatically. On a computer, copy the command to your phone.
Airtel, BSNL or another operator?
Call 1909 or use your operator’s official DND facility. Choose full blocking or the categories you want to restrict, follow any confirmation steps, and check the acknowledgement. Processing times and menu labels vary; an SMS draft alone does not mean you are registered.
Only want to block certain categories?
TRAI’s preference-registration page lists these categories. Select them through the official preference service; these are category labels, not a universal SMS command list.
- Banking, insurance, financial products & credit cards
- Real estate
- Education
- Health
- Consumer goods & automobiles
- Communication, broadcasting, entertainment & IT
- Tourism & leisure
- Food & beverages
02 / Close the other door
Use the bank’s own Do Not Call registry
National DND and a bank’s internal marketing preferences are not the same. If you previously agreed to offers, withdraw that consent as well. Ask the bank or lender to stop promotional contact, including contact through its marketing representatives.
ICICI Bank
Register marketing preferences by channel. The bank also explains how to report an unwelcome call that continues after registration.
Official opt-out pageAxis Bank
Official guidance links to the bank’s internal DNC preference service and explains other ways to update your preferences.
Official opt-out pageSBI Card
Opt out of card marketing communications. Account transactions, statements and important account information remain outside this opt-out.
Official opt-out pageThese official pages were reviewed on 31 October 2026. Follow the acknowledgement and processing period given by the institution; there is no single turnaround time for every bank. mygyaan.ai does not submit or track these requests.
Your bank, lender or builder is not listed?
Go directly to its official website or existing customer-service channel. Look for marketing preferences, Do Not Call, privacy or grievance redressal. Do not use a link supplied by an unsolicited caller.
For a wider starting list, see the TechnoFino community bank DNC directory. This is a community-maintained resource, not an official registry. Its contents could not be independently reviewed for this guide; confirm each destination on the bank’s own website before entering personal details.
A simple opt-out request you can use
Please register my number on your internal Do Not Call list and withdraw my consent for promotional calls and messages from your organisation and its marketing representatives. Please retain essential account and transactional communications. Confirm the opt-out and provide a reference number.
Send it through the organisation’s official channel. Add your contact details only there—not in a public comment or an unknown form.
03 / Make the complaint count
Still getting spam calls? Report them.
Blocking a number on your phone helps with that number. Reporting unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) gives your telecom provider information it can investigate. Registration, blocking and reporting are different actions.
Keep the evidence
Save the number or SMS header, date, time, a screenshot or call-log entry, and a brief description of the pitch. Note the organisation the caller claimed to represent.
Report to your operator
Use 1909, the TRAI DND app or your telecom provider’s official complaint channel. Supply the requested details and follow its current complaint format.
Save the complaint ID
Keep the acknowledgement so you can track the outcome and follow up through the provider’s complaint process. A complaint is not a guarantee that every future call will stop.
TRAI’s FAQ gives an SMS complaint pattern: The UCC, sender number/header, dd/mm/yy. Include the actual unwanted communication or description and follow any additional prompts from your operator. If the format is unclear, call 1909 instead.
Less noise. Not less safety.
Promotions are not transactions.
Essential account alerts, OTPs and service communications are different from sales pitches. Read the opt-out scope rather than trying to block every message from your bank.
Never give an OTP to a caller to “activate DND”.
If an official bank or operator form requires verification, enter the code only on that verified website or app. Do not share passwords, PINs or card security codes with callers.
WhatsApp needs its own controls.
The telecom DND process is for calls and SMS, not a WhatsApp block list. Block or report unwanted WhatsApp senders within WhatsApp and withdraw consent from the business.
Suspicious is different from annoying.
If a caller asks for money, remote access or sensitive credentials, stop the conversation and contact your bank using its official channel. DND registration is not fraud protection.
Before the next call: your questions answered
How do I stop unwanted bank and credit-card calls in India?
Register your telecom DND preferences through 1909 or your operator’s official DND service. Also use the bank’s own Do Not Call registry and withdraw marketing consent. Report subsequent unsolicited calls to your telecom provider and keep the complaint reference.
Should I send BLOCK SPAM to 1909?
We could not verify BLOCK SPAM as a universal activation command in the official sources checked. Jio documents START 0 to 1909; Vi documents FULLY BLOCK to 1909. Follow your own operator’s current instructions or call 1909 and select your preferences.
Is the deadline for a spam complaint three days or seven days?
TRAI’s 12 February 2025 amendment specifies seven days from receipt of the unsolicited commercial communication. Some older TRAI web pages still mention three days. Report promptly, preferably the same day, and retain the acknowledgement.
Are DND and a bank’s DNC registry the same thing?
No. Telecom DND records your preferences in the National Customer Preference Register. A bank’s internal Do Not Call registry manages that bank’s marketing preferences. Use both and separately withdraw any marketing consent you previously gave.
Will DND stop bank OTPs and transaction alerts?
DND is intended to restrict unwanted commercial promotions, not essential transactional communication. SBI Card explicitly states that account transactions, statements and other important information continue. Read the scope of each institution’s opt-out.
Will DND stop every spam call or WhatsApp message?
No. DND is not a guarantee that every caller will comply, and the telecom call/SMS preference process is not a WhatsApp block list. Use WhatsApp’s own blocking and reporting tools for unwanted messages, and report persistent telecom spam through your provider.
Does mygyaan.ai register my number or collect my bank details?
No. This is an independent guide, not a TRAI service or a bank registry. DND registration and bank opt-outs happen through the official services linked here. This page does not ask for your phone number, card details or OTP.
Sources, not forwarded folklore
Independent consumer guidance by mygyaan.ai. Not affiliated with TRAI, a telecom operator or any bank. Commands and procedures can change; your operator’s current confirmation and the applicable regulations take precedence. No service can promise to eliminate every spam call.
- TRAI: Unsolicited Commercial Communications FAQ (contains older timelines)
- TRAI: preference registration and category choices
- TRAI: Second Amendment Regulations, 12 February 2025 (PDF)
- TRAI: complaint channels and required information (contains older timelines)
- Jio: DND and START 0 instructions
- Vi: DND and FULLY BLOCK instructions
Your attention is worth protecting. Share this guide with someone whose phone never seems to stop ringing.