The Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has provided a special assigned number *106# for users of mobile phone services to protect consumers through verification of registration status of their Sim Cards. Mobile communication services users, simply verify registration of their phone numbers by dialing *106# and follow instructions that follow for verification.

The SIM Card verification exercise which TCRA introduced in January 2020 intends to ensure that all communication services users who have registered their sim card biometrically so as to remain safe from possible misuse of their identity and sim cards by scammers.

Upon dialing * 106 # on your phone, you will be able to verify the registration status of your mobile phone number, as well as identify a list mobile phone numbers that have been illegally registered using your National Identification Number (NIN) issued by the National Identification Authority (NIDA).

After dialing * 106 # you will be given several options, numbers from 1 to 5, if you select number 3 you will be able to view a list of phone numbers, registered through use of your Citizenship number provided by NIDA. In case, you see some mobile phone that are strange ‘foreign’ and you never registered them, you will be required to take action.

Steps to be taken by affected user, include reporting at the customer service desk of the service provider who will subsequently delete the unrecognized numbers biometrically. This measure is important as it protects the user of communications services against misuse of such numbers, including unlawful activities.

It is important for the user of the communications service to ensure that they take precautionary measures when registering their sim cards with the agent, by ensuring that the service provider registers and verifies, only the relevant numbers. Among other things to consider when registering a sim card with a fingerprint at the agent’s desk, is to avoid repetition of the finger-picking exercise.

It should be noted that the verification of sim card uses the same code number that is *106# on all telecommunication networks which are Vodacom, Airtel, TTCL, Tigo, Halotel, Smile and other networks.

It is also important to make sure the agents verifying sim cards possess IDs from the companies they represent to avoid users from registering their cards with hoodwinkers. These steps are necessary to be observed by the telecommunications service users when registering and verifying their sim cards so as to avoid possible fraud by some unscrupulous agents during the registration and verification exercise.

Some devious agents would register other customers’ cards using their own National Identification Number (NIN), once the limit of the number they register reaches, which is five cards in a single network, they would turn to registering excess sim cards by other customers’ NIN the end result of which would be misuse of such cards by some people who happens to buy the same from agents at a price that ranges from 1000 to 10000 shillings per card. Some communication service users purchase sim cards that bear other users’ NIN to facilitate their criminal deeds.

In a move to prevent customers from easily discovering that their NIDA number have registered multiple numbers, some agents would start by verifying and picking the owners’ number as primary and other numbers would be regarded as additional in order to later sell them to people in need of registered telephone sim cards for personal use; as a result, such sim cards are used for criminal acts such as cyber theft and other crimes.

Some agents commit the offence while knowing it is unlawful; thus, to contain such tricky behaviours by some unscrupulous agents it is important for all users of communication services to ensure they verify all numbers registered on a telecommunication network through National Identification Number (NIN), issued by the National Identification Authority (NIDA).

Regular verification of registered numbers by communication user enables discerning of identical numbers that were registered in a name of the original owner of the NIN, the measure facilitates identification of a registering agent who mischievously registered other sim cards without knowledge of NIN owners.

The most common method used by some unprincipled agents when registering a sim-card through biometry is to require their customer to repeat several times the fingerprinting exercise to confirm registration; the agent would excuse the registering user that the fingerprint exercise should be repeated on the ground that the initial step was not successful, at which point the markers are archived to be used to register additional sim-cards.

It is important for service user who wants to register their sim-card to take precautions by making sure they print only once on the fingerprint copying machine and if there is a need for repetition it is important that the agent assures the former that the exercise does not aim to record the fingerprint twice for unlawful registering but rather it was a technical hitch that prevented the first printing; it is important that the customer is satisfied.

Skipping the sim-card verification exercise is risky as it can expose the user of communication services into trouble if their registered sim-cards will be used to commit crimes such as cyber fraud, bullying, threats and so on.

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) issued guidelines for the registration of sim-cards through fingerprint (biometric) for four purposes which includes strengthening and advancing anti-fraud efforts in electronic transactions and services as well as ensuring that service providers abide by the procedures for registering telecommunications service users through biometric method.

The mobile network service provider is legally responsible for protecting the user of such services, against cybercrime such as theft and fraud. As said earlier the sim-card verification exercise is intended to protect the user against inappropriate acts committed by other users for example sending threatening messages, insults and criminal acts, like theft on Mobile Money Services.

However, some users of communication services have been avoiding to register their sim-cards for various reasons which includes hiding identity against government instruments for the criminal acts they commit online, so they use a tactic of buying the already registered sim-cards to shun from the hand of the law enforcers.

Sim-card registration and verification is an important exercise considering that it enables the telecommunications service users not to use their phone to commit crime but it also protects other users from cybercrimes.

Quickly verify your registered phone numbers to be safe by dialing * 106 # then follow the instructions. Stay safe electronically.