By Sizwe Dlamini
MTN Eswatini is urging all customers to ensure that their personal information is not linked to any unauthorized phone number.
Nontsikelelo Msibi, MTN Eswatini’s Senior Risk, Compliance, and Internal Controls Manager, highlighted the risks of identity misuse within the telecommunications space.
She noted that each MTN customer is allowed to register up to ten phone numbers under their name, a provision that scammers have exploited by using unsuspecting individuals’ identities to carry out illegal activities.
Msibi explained that scammers often use the phone numbers of unsuspecting individuals, especially elderly people, to carry out fraudulent activities. In many cases, the actual owners of the numbers are unaware that their details have been misused, potentially leading to wrongful arrests.
She also highlighted that providing ID details at Mobile Money (MoMo) points of sale is no longer mandatory, giving customers more control over their personal information.
“To help customers protect themselves, MTN is advising users to dial *1212# to check if their ID is linked to any unauthorized numbers.
Meanwhile, Melusi Vilakati, a representative of the Royal Eswatini Police Service, confirmed that “facata” scams are increasing at an alarming rate and have led to losses of E1.5 million in the country, with 19 arrests made so far.
He emphasized the importance of checking for unknown numbers registered under one’s name, as failure to do so could lead to legal trouble.
“Scammers have also become more sophisticated, with some even sending innocent individuals to withdraw money from ATMs, while others have fled the country to avoid capture. Customers are urged to stay vigilant and regularly monitor their phone registrations to avoid becoming victims of fraud as we the police will continue making our arrests. Just last week, we traced a cellphone number that was being used in fraud and we were shocked that the owner of the number was a senior citizen who could not even walk. We saw that somebody was using a number registered to her to commit “facata crimes,” he said.