NCA warns public against sharing mobile money PINs with fraudsters posing as network operators

The Upper East Regional Office of the National Communications Authority (NCA) has cautioned the public against sharing electronic transaction Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) with individuals posing as operatives of mobile network operators.

Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Thursday, February 12, the Upper East Regional Zonal Engineer of the NCA, Abdul Rahman Mashoud, stressed that no legitimate network operator will call customers to request their PINs, warning the public to remain vigilant against fraudsters.

“No network operator would call you to give your PIN out; your PIN is your secret, and so if anybody calls you and tells you that he’s calling from a network operator, that person is not coming from a network operator because they would not ask for your PIN to gain access to anything.” He warned.

He also cautioned mobile money users against sharing their PINs with vendors during transactions and urged users to activate two-step verification on their social media accounts to protect them from potential hackers.

The Upper East Regional Zonal Regulatory Officer, Emmanuel Abaafe, advised customers who fall victim to mobile money fraud to immediately report the incident to their network operators to enable swift action.

“If you are defrauded, the earliest and most important step is to report immediately to your mobile network operator, so the account can be blocked before the money is withdrawn.” Abaafe said.

Meanwhile, the Authority’s Consumer Affairs Officer, Job Aboyom, warned customers against giving out their National Identification Cards (Ghana Cards) to register SIM cards for other individuals.

He further encouraged consumers to dial the short code *404*1 # to check the number of SIM cards linked to their Ghana Card in order to prevent criminals from using their identity for fraudulent activities.

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