SIM box fraud crackdown intensifies
GOVERNMENT
By BiztechAfrica – June 14, 2012, 9:13 a.m.
Ghana’s crackdown on SIM box fraudsters has intensified, with several new arrests made.
Five members of a SIM box fraud syndicate operating in Accra and the US have appeared in the Accra Circuit Court as Ghana authorities make good on their promise to crack down on this type of fraud.
SIM box fraud entails buying large volumes of SIM cards and using them to channel calls away from legitimate operators at a lower cost.
The five were charged with unauthorised access or interception of electronic records, possessing illegal devices, providing electronic communications services without a license, knowingly interfering with the sending, transmission, delivery and reception of communication and abetment of crime. They have been remanded in custody and are due to appear in court again tomorrow.
Working in collaboration with mobile operators, the NCA and police have carried out raids in several areas in recent weeks.
Communications Minister Haruna, Iddrisu says the government will relentlessly fight the menace of SIM box fraud, which is cheating both the state and telecoms operators of millions of dollars in revenue.
