Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has commenced moves to synergize its efforts with key law enforcement agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Police to track and apprehend fraudsters involved in identity theft and cybercrimes.
The telecom industry regulatory commission’s move is coming amid rising insecurity and other criminalities usually perpetrated with illegal SIM cards registered under different names to aid in their illegal activities.
Commenting on the NCC’s initiative, its Director Public Affairs, Dr Rueben Mouka, said the major step taken by the NCC to address identity theft with the initiation of the mandatory linking of the National Identity Number with individual’s SIM cards.
Over the past years, the commission has consistently introduced regulatory policy measures to combat cybercrimes in their various manifestations in furtherance of its statutory roles of telecom subscribers’ protection.
For instance, it had, in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and telecom operators and professional groups, mandated the linking of subscribers’ NINs with their SIMs for data protection and to ensure that telecom subscribers are properly identified, thereby making it difficult for fraudsters to impersonate them or steal their personal identity details
To ensure that Nigerians are enlightened on threats to their data security, especially financial and other critical data, the commission has continued its cybersecurity awareness campaigns nationwide to educate the public on how to protect their personal data, avoid sharing sensitive information with strangers, and recognize common tactics being used by identity theft criminals
These regulatory moves by the NCC are aimed at ensuring that personal information are not leaked or exposed to third parties.
