The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged telecom consumers to be wary of fake Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registration agents purporting to be working for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) with the intention to defraud unsuspecting subscribers.

The NCC said that one of the antics of the fake SIM registration agents is to ask for the One-Time Password (OTP) forwarded to the consumer for activation of the SIM, especially after the SIM replacement process has been done.

This is just as the NCC insisted that MNOs, their licensed agents and telecom subscribers, should always comply with SIM registration, activation and replacement procedures as set out in the Revised National Identity Policy for SIM registration.

It made the request during the 6th edition of the Telecom Consumer Town Hall on Radio (TCTHR), a radio-based interactive consumer outreach programme of the Commission, broadcast under the auspices of NCC Digital Signature.

The programme, which had NCC officials and representatives of MNOs in attendance in the studio, was aired live on Treasure FM 98.5, Garden City, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over the weekend with the theme: ‘Understanding SIM Replacement Procedures’.

Speaking during the radio programme, the Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, Efosa Idehen, said while operators are to ensure strict compliance when registering their customers, the SIM card owners should have the responsibility to be vigilant to ensure that they are properly captured either for new SIM activation or SIM replacement.

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“As the telecom regulator in Nigeria, our role is to enforce compliance with the extant SIM activation and replacement procedures in order to avoid problems that may arise in the event of stolen, lost, damaged SIMs or the need to upgrade SIM cards,” he said.

Idehen emphasised the significance of SIM registration to personal and national security, and asserted that compliance with the stipulated procedures for SIM replacement would forestall identity theft, fraudulent SIM swap and other deceitful activities that can be carried out with a SIM card.

He added that in accordance with the Revised National Identity Policy for SIM registration, all SIM replacements will be undertaken by the service providers or their licensed agents in a controlled environment to eliminate the recurrent complaints of inconclusive SIM replacement procedures.

He said such experiences have resulted in subscribers being defrauded by cyber fraudsters.

Addressing the requirements for SIM replacement, the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, said the use of National Identification Number (NIN) is compulsory in addition to all other criteria stated in the SIM Replacement Guidelines.

He declared that the provision was stipulated in the Revised National Identity Policy for SIM registration.

Adinde, who was represented by the Port Harcourt Zonal Controller, Venny Eze-Nwabufoh,  explained that using the NIN for SIM replacement is beneficial as it helps in identifying the real identity of a mobile phone user, limiting identity fraud, other network related crimes as well as improving national security.

The Star