NCC, telcos disagree on SIM swap fraud

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday in Lagos, faulted attempt by the telcos in the country to absolve themselves of complicity in ongoing subscriber identity module (SIM) swap fraud.

Speaking at the inauguration of the newly elected executives of Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF),  the Executive Secretary, Association of Licensed Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbolahan Awonuga, said telcos should not be blamed for losing cash to fraudsters through SIM swap.

According to him, victims should blame their banks for whatever happened to the money kept in the custody of the banks.

But responding,  Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB) at NCC, Mrs. Felicia Onwuegbuchulan, said the regulator has not given the telcos a clean bill of health on the matter, insisting that it is curious how services actually disappear from victim’s phones giving credibility to the directive of the fraudsters for victims to switch off their phones.

Representing the Executive Commissioner Stakeholders Management, Mr. Sunday Dare, she said the Commission is still looking at the facts.

Meanwhile, the regulator said it has uncovered 88 illegal centres for SIM card registrations across the country and would soon carry out a clamp down on them.

Mr Dare who told reporters in Abuja, said the NCC is determined to stop the menace of improperly registered, unregistered and pre-registered SIM cards in the country.

He said said arrangements are being made to carry out raids on the identified locations. “Eighty-eight locations have been identified nationwide as hubs for dealing in pre-registration of SIM cards and other forms of dirty registration,”he said.

Mr. Dare said the Commission’s collaboration with the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) to end the dangerous practice led to the raid of Central Market, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State and the arrest of three persons.

He said the fight against pre-registration of SIM cards has also received another boost as a meeting held on September 3, 2018 between the Commission, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) continue to yield results.

He said MTN has delisted 179 agents who were engaged in SIM card pre-registration, saying the move was  part of the resolution reached at the September meeting and called on other operators to follow the same path.

“In compliance with the resolutions reached at the meeting between the Commission, MNOs and NSCDC held on September 3, 2018, the Commission is in receipt of an Intelligence Report/Rapid Letter from MTN dated November 2, 2018.

“MTN reported that 179 registration agents were delisted nationwide for their involvement in pre-registration of SIM cards and dirty registration. In addition to this, devices were retrieved and registrations carried out by such agents were deactivated,” Mr. Dare said.

While commending MTN for complying with the resolution, NCC called on other MNOs to submit intelligence and monthly raid reports as agreed at the meeting.

The Commission also urged the network operators to engage in aggressive sensitisation campaign on the danger of dealing in any business that has to do with pre-registration of SIM cards.


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