Consider any offer for ‘help’ a scam, Communications Authority says

Communications Authority of Kenya Director General Francis Wangusi. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mobile banking, which is operated using SIM cards, has become a popular mode of transaction due to its convenience.
  • Before sharing PII, mobile phone users should first verify the authenticity of the caller through the official customer care contacts of the service provider.
  • One should delete requests sent to them for financial information or password whenever they are asked since chances are very high that it is a scam.

More than 7.9 million cases of cybercrime were detected between January and March this year, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).

CA advises mobile phone users to be cautious while responding to calls or emails asking for Personal Identifiable Information (PII) which fraudsters use to steal from them.

PII refers to any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as mobile money PIN, ID card number, bank account number, password and SIM card PIN.

Before sharing PII, mobile phone users should first verify the authenticity of the caller through the official customer care contacts of the service provider.

Also, one should delete requests sent to them for financial information or password whenever they are asked since chances are very high that it is a scam.

Mobile phone users should also reject offers of help since legitimate companies do not contact people to provide help. If you have not specifically requested assistance, consider any offer to ‘help’ a scam.

CYBER SECURITY MATTERS

CA Director-General Francis Wangusi said many complaints of theft of cash from phone subscribers’ accounts had been recorded by the authority’s National Kenya Computer Incident Response Coordination Centre, the point of contact on cyber-security matters.

For the illegal SIM card swap fraud to happen, the fraudsters usually make calls pretending to be employees of a mobile network operator.

They ask the unsuspecting mobile subscribers to share their Personal Identifiable Information, which they use to swap the SIM cards, and the SIM of the genuine holder is automatically blocked.

With the replaced card, they gain access to all the SIM services including mobile money transfer, mobile and internet banking, voice calls, SMSs and data services.

Mobile banking, which is operated using SIM cards, has become a popular mode of transaction due to its convenience.

The Nation last week carried the story of Mr Stanley Wanjiku, a Kiambu MCA who lost Sh1.9 million from his two bank accounts and mobile wallet after his SIM card was swapped while he was on an official foreign trip last month.

LOSING MONEY

The story generated a lot of discussion on this latest crime on social media. On Twitter, @Tush _Karimba said his mother’s bank account was emptied after her SIM card was swapped.

Ms Hadiyya Qelhatat through @hqelhatat said her father was a victim last year when the fraudsters borrowed Sh6,800 from KCB m-pesa, Sh2,000 from M-shwari, and Sh800 from Tala.

Many other Kenyans have also complained of losing money in a similar way.

The fraudsters, according to an alleged confession by a university student which has been widely shared, randomly pick mobile phone numbers and call them purporting to be the service provider’s customer care attendants.

They deceive their targets that their SIM cards had been registered twice or their lines had issues that need rectification. Those who fall into their trap are lured into giving out their details.