Ghana will soon ban mobile phone users from owning own more than 10 Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards. This follows a directive from the Ministry of Communications in Accra, Ghana recently.
The new directive will take effect somewhere next year after the nationwide re -registration of SIM cards in the West African country.
The latest move, the government explained formed part of efforts to curb SIM box fraud in the country.
The Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Omane Boamah said all telecommunication traffic would be going through a newly instituted interconnect Clearing House and hence unregistered SIM in the system will be detected.
“During the registration exercise, you will register all the SIMS you have and everybody will be given a maximum of 10. Once you are able to register a maximum of 10, the data will then be given to the national communication authority. That also helps through the interconnection house system to bounce off all unregistered SIM cards.”
Dr Boamah has vowed to smoke out all SIM box fraudsters in the country.
Government as part of moves to deal with the matter set up an anti fraud task force, despite its commendable efforts there still appears to be some significant level of SIM box fraud.
On Wednesday this week, two suspects were arrested for SIM box fraud.The National Communications Authority (NCA), in conjunction with the Ghana Police Service and MTN Ghana, effected the arrest at Dome Pillar 2, a suburb of Accra.
The suspects, Evans Agbenyo and Georgia Vera Mensah, and two others currently at large, Christopher Ewusie and John Owusu, were said to have cost the nation and the telecommunication companies an amount of US$836 000 within six months.
The Director of Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Prosper Agblor,said that the suspects were found with five GHZ external wireless routers, 16-port GOIP-router plus mini antennas, link system Wifi router, and three laptop computers.
The suspects were also found with 11 960 new and used SIM cards.
Ghana has so far lost about 50million dollars to activities of SIM box fraudsters.
African Eye News
