SIM registration alone cannot end fraud – Telecoms Chamber CEO warns

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, has cautioned that registering SIM cards alone will not completely eliminate fraud in Ghana.

She explained that tackling mobile-related scams requires stronger public awareness and strict protection of personal identification numbers (PINs), which are often targeted by fraudsters.

Speaking in an interview with Citi Business News, Ms. Owusu-Ankomah noted that many fraud incidents in the country are driven by social engineering tactics. In such cases, scammers impersonate trusted individuals or institutions to trick victims into revealing confidential information used for mobile financial transactions.

She stressed that safeguarding sensitive details like PINs remains one of the most effective ways to prevent fraud, adding that SIM registration alone cannot fully stop these crimes.

Her remarks come as the government prepares to launch another nationwide SIM registration exercise after receiving approval from Cabinet. The upcoming exercise will mark Ghana’s third large-scale SIM card registration initiative and is expected to introduce adjustments to the current regulatory framework governing subscriber registration.

Ms. Owusu-Ankomah explained that although SIM registration will not serve as a complete solution to fraud, it helps strengthen accountability by linking SIM cards biometrically to the national identification database.

This system ensures that each phone number can be traced to a specific individual, making it easier for authorities to identify people involved in criminal activities conducted through mobile networks.

She also urged subscribers to avoid buying pre-registered SIM cards and instead ensure that any SIM they use is properly registered in their own name.

According to her, if a SIM card that is registered in someone’s name is used for fraudulent activities, that individual could be held responsible for crimes associated with that number.

Meanwhile, some mobile phone users are calling on the government to ensure that the planned re-registration exercise effectively addresses the ongoing problem of mobile money fraud.

Many users say that despite previous nationwide SIM registration campaigns, cases of mobile money scams and cyber-related fraud are still being reported, resulting in financial losses for several subscribers.

For instance, a trader, Diana Opoku, said the re-registration exercise could help improve security if it successfully reduces mobile money fraud and online scams.