The Mobile Money Advocacy Group Ghana (MOMAG) has alerted mobile phone users about the fraudulent activities of some individuals during SIM Card registration.
According to MOMAG, this public notice has been necessitated by its commitment to protecting its customers.
“It has come to our notice that, some unscrupulous agents register SIM Cards for unsuspecting people and at their blind side. These agents will register two of the cards, with the excuse that, the first one was not successful due to network challenges. They secretly keep the other cards and later use it for fraudulent activities or sometimes sell it at exorbitant price to people without Ghana Cards,” MOMAG said in a statement dated May 9, 2024.
“Incidentally, quite a greater number of the victims are females – Over 90% Again, some of our Ghanaian ladies who befriend some male of foreign nationals are coaxed into registering SIM Cards with their Ghana Cards. Some of these men will then use the SIM Cards to perpetuate fraudulent activities,” MOMAG added.
According to the advocacy group, “We have engaged the National Communications Authority (NCA) on this issue in the year 2023, but no action has been taken yet. We humbly appeal to the NCA to take necessary action to protect citizens by curbing this menace. This, we believe, will prevent or reduce such fraudulent activities.”
“We have samples of phone numbers used by some of these fraudsters and are willing to provide them to the NCA if need be. To nib this issue in the bud, we strongly suggest that, the authorities take immediate action, by launching a public awareness campaign through electronic (radio and television) and print media to educate the public to shun the use of their Ghana cards to buy SIM cards for friends,” MOMAG said.
The group also advised that “the public should be educated to collect their damaged SIM cards from agents if they are told the card is damaged or gone bad during the registration process. What is more, we are sending a word of caution to these bad Agents, who are aiding the fraudsters by registering SIMs or selling “registered SIM Cards” (pre-registered) to them. We urge such Agents to stop such activities immediately. Should the association get hold of such bad agents, we would report them to the police to face the full rigors of the law.”
