SIM registration alone cannot stop fraud — Telecom Chamber CEO
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, has stated that SIM card registration alone cannot eliminate fraud in the country, emphasizing that consumer awareness and safeguarding personal identification numbers (PINs) are crucial in combating the increasing cases of mobile-related scams.
She explained that many of the fraud incidents currently reported in Ghana are largely the result of social engineering tactics, where fraudsters impersonate trusted individuals or institutions to deceive users into revealing sensitive information, including PINs used for mobile financial services.
Speaking in an interview with Citi Business News, she noted that keeping such confidential information secure remains the most reliable way to prevent fraud, adding that SIM registration by itself cannot completely stop these crimes.
Her remarks come as the government prepares to conduct another nationwide SIM registration exercise after receiving Cabinet approval.
The upcoming exercise will be the third major SIM subscriber registration initiative in Ghana and is expected to introduce updates to the regulatory framework that governs SIM card registration.
She stressed that SIM registration should not be viewed as a complete solution to fraud. According to her, many scams occur when individuals pretending to be legitimate callers manipulate victims into sharing their personal identification details.
She advised mobile users to treat their PINs as strictly confidential, explaining that protecting such details significantly reduces the risk of being defrauded.
Ms. Owusu-Ankomah also underscored the need for stronger consumer education. She urged subscribers to avoid buying pre-registered SIM cards and to ensure that every SIM card they use is properly registered in their own name.
She further explained that biometric linking of SIM cards to the national identification database allows authorities to trace individuals if a number is used to commit a crime, thereby improving accountability within the telecommunications sector.
According to her, if a person uses a SIM card that was originally registered by someone else without properly re-registering it in their own name, any criminal activity carried out with that number could still be traced back to them.
She therefore encouraged subscribers to register their SIM cards themselves and ensure that the numbers they use are legitimately tied to their identities to avoid possible legal consequences.
Meanwhile, some mobile phone users have called on the government to ensure that the planned SIM card re-registration exercise effectively tackles the ongoing problem of mobile money fraud in the country.
They argue that although the previous nationwide SIM registration exercise was meant to reduce fraudulent activities on telecom networks, cases of mobile money scams and other cyber-related crimes continue to occur, resulting in financial losses for many users.
One mobile user, trader Diana Opoku, told Citi Business News that strengthening the SIM registration system could help improve security and reduce mobile money fraud if the exercise is implemented effectively.
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