Computers, smart-phones and the internet are now linked to almost every part of our daily lives.

This creates new vulnerabilities that organised crime groups are quick to exploit. Criminals are using this technology to conduct new crimes and to commit traditional crimes in new ways. They can commit these crimes with access to countless victims, with anonymity and from anywhere in the world, making them difficult to detect and pursue. 

Online shoppers have been cheated before but now criminals have turned to SIM card technology to evade being tracked down by authorities. In 2012, a new law was adopted requiring that every SIM card be registered in order to minimise crimes/fraud using mobile phones. However, it has come to light that some agents register SIM cards without going through proper channels.

In trying to see how bad the situation is, I borrowed ID’s from three workmates and proceeded to use them and register four SIM cards; two from MTN, one from Airtel and another from Tigo.

Among the four SIM cards, I bought one from a street vendor, but the rest were from service centres.

MTN service centre (Nyamirambo)

The gentleman seated behind the counter politely asked me what I wanted and I told him that I wanted a SIM card. He asked for my ID but I told him that I wanted it for my sister and that she had given me her ID to register it. He didn’t even think twice about registering a SIM card with the owner absent or even ask random questions to figure out if I was lying. He registered the SIM card and handed it to me.

I went to another service centre and the story was the same. No questions; all they were interested in was money without verifying or questioning why the owner didn’t come in person.

Tigo authorised street agent

I approached an authorised Tigo street agent in Remera and asked him if I could get a SIM card and have it registered. He asked if he could put the SIM card in my phone to activate it. I handed over my phone to him; he put a Tigo SIM card, registered it and gave me the phone. No questions asked. I was in possession of a Tigo SIM card, registered in someone else’s name.

Airtel service centre (city centre)

The Airtel service centre was no different from MTN or the Tigo street agent. All the lady did was pick a SIM card, look at the ID given to her and register it at once. Again, no questions asked.

According to Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA), any SIM card activation is subject to registration of personal information of an individual subscriber who wants to use it. A subscriber must possess a valid ID or passport to register. However, this doesn’t seem to be always the case.

Security threat

This lapse in security measures might increase crime levels because there are no background checks done.

For example, when a person loses an ID and is processing another, it doesn’t reflect in the telecom database, someone might pick it, register a SIM card on it and use it to commit a crime.

There will be no way to track that person as the SIM card was already registered to another person.

According to a source in a telecom company who preferred anonymity, there’s a growing ring of people who buy ID’s to use them to register SIM cards.

"These people are usually on the lookout for places where there are funerals, they connive with the maid to get the deceased’s ID and pay them. They then use it register a SIM card,” the source said.

However, what is more shocking, as some agents revealed, is that when someone has a friend working with the telecom company, registration is so easy that you only have to call up the friend, tell him/her the new number you’ve bought, an ID number and all is set. All this is done without physical verification.

Telecom companies respond

According to RURA, telecom companies are making mistakes and they might be punished.

"What these companies are doing is not acceptable. They are supposed to register a person physically, verify that indeed that identity card belongs to the customer and proceed to register,” said Jean Baptiste Mutabazi, Head of communication regulation at RURA.

Mutabazi explained that they have noticed the problem and they are looking into it.

"We have reports where you find someone’s identity used on more than 10 SIM cards without their knowledge. However, we are taking steps to stop fraudulent SIM card registration. We are in our final stages,” he added.

He said offending companies risked hefty fines. He also said that telecom companies should be very diligent and follow proper procedures when registering SIM cards.

While RURA acknowledges the problem, telecom firms claimed ignorance. Teta Mpyisi, MTN Rwanda’s publicist, said she wasn’t aware of the issue. "I’m not aware of any such problem and it’s certainly the first time I’m hearing about it. We put a lot of emphasis on our service centres when registering SIM cards.”

She added that SIM card registration is an issue that MTN Rwanda takes seriously and promised to consult with their service centre managers and customer relations departments about the matter.

Bright Owusu Bempah, Chief Financial Officer, Tigo Rwanda, said that no Tigo customer has raised such a complaint so far.

"We haven’t registered such complaints. We have very strict control over our freelancers and we meet with them every morning for briefing.”

He explained that since last year, they’ve been working with the Police and regulators to sensitise freelancers on the importance of following proper steps in registering a SIM card.

"In December, last year, we invited everyone who has a registration code for a meeting with police officials who made it clear to them that any fraud in SIM card registration would result into serious punishment as per the law. The same is reminded to them every morning.”

Bempah added that if it ever happens and they receive complaints, they have a system in place which will track the agent who committed the offence.

"Registration is done electronically and every agent has a specific identification code which allows our platform to track any transaction made anywhere at any time to make sure that any fraud committed can be dealt with accordingly.”

Efforts to get a comment from Airtel were unsuccessful as its public relations agent, Sandra Natukunda, promised to get back to us but hadn’t by press time.

Police speaks out

Police Spokesperson Chief Superintendent of Police, Celestin Twahirwa, said that he wasn’t aware of anything of the kind.

"I don’t think we have received any information about cases arising from fraud SIM card registration but I would like to urge people who think that their identity is being used by another person to report the case and we investigate it. And even if such an issue was there, it’s not alarming. People shouldn’t be worried.”

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The need to take SIM registration seriously

In September 2013, Kenya was brought down to its knees when terrorists took over Westgate shopping mall where at least 67 people were killed, possibly including four terrorists and wounding up to 78 other people.

During investigations, police discovered that terrorists were using SIM cards that weren’t registered which hindered their ability to track the terrorists. This resulted into the summoning of telecom CEOs for questioning by detectives, but they denied having unregistered SIM cards on their networks.

Not long ago before the Westgate attack, terrorists struck in Uganda when they killed over 70 people at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds and the Ethiopian Village in Muyenga, who were watching the 2010 World Cup final. The terrorists were using GSM technology. The suspects were never apprehended because the SIM cards used to detonate the bombs and used to communicate were not registered. Such brutal activities by criminals have made it compulsory to have SIM cards registered.

Jean Baptiste Mutabazi, Head of communication regulation at RURA, stated the need to have SIM cards registered.

"SIM card registration is very important, especially for security reasons. Nowadays we have mobile banking, there’s no way a bank can allow anyone to access an account with an unregistered SIM card. People would be stealing money if that was the case.”

He added that other than mobile banking and mobile money services, it is also easy for police to do their work.

"In the past, any person would call a number randomly and start harassing the person because there was no way of tracking a number. However, these days no one can do such a thing because they can be easily tracked.”

He said that SIM card registration helps in fighting crime in the country. "In the past we always received complaints about people who would go to the bank and steal a person’s cheque book or copy their bank account number.

The conman would then ask the unsuspecting person to beep his (conman’s) number claiming he lost his phone so as to get the number. After doing all that, he would then go and do a SIM swap of that number, and because numbers were not registered, there was no way it could be identified.”

He added that later, the conman would call the bank and send someone to withdraw money using bank withdrawal papers. "It was a big problem and we received various complaints. Basically, SIM card registration gives the owner an identity and it protects many people.”

dean.karemera@newtimes.co.rw