Telecommunications companies that fail to report incidents of illegal SIM card registration or SIM swaps within 48 hours will face a fine of Rwf 2,000,000 per incident, according to new regulations issued by the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA).

Illegal SIM registration involves using fraudulent or falsified information to register a SIM card, misrepresenting the identity of the actual user or subscriber.

RURA has also imposed strict penalties on telecom companies that do not promptly deactivate SIM cards involved in fraudulent activities, including those associated with stolen SIM cards, deceased individuals, and other similar cases.

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"A SIM Card number suspected of involvement in fraudulent activities must be immediately deactivated or blocked from the network and the subscriber will be barred from all networks, pending further investigations,” the regulations read.

In case of failure to deactivate, the telco is liable to an administrative fine of Rwf 1,500,000 for each SIM Card. In addition to this, companies that fail to comply with SIM Card registration and SIM Swap procedures by RURA are liable to an administrative fine of Rwf 2,000,000 per fault.

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Illegal SIM registration could involve using fake or forged identification documents, registering SIM cards in someone else's name without their consent, or other deceptive practices to obtain a SIM card under false pretences. Illegal SIM swap means a fraudulent act of replacing or switching a SIM card without the subscriber's knowledge or consent.

According to RURA, telcos must submit reports detailing the number of registered SIM cards on a quarterly basis or upon request by the Authority, and must immediately notify the regulatory authority of any security breaches, unauthorised access to subscribers’ information, illegal SIM registration and illegal SIM swaps.

According to the 2023 Omnichannel Fraud Report, at least 32 percent of Rwandans were targeted by fraud and money scams from September to December 2022.