This archive report was first published on 23 April 2020.
On April 23, 2020, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) issued a warning to Kenyans about a scam involving SIM cards. The scam involves sending messages to mobile subscribers, claiming to be from the CA, warning them that they have exceeded the maximum number of SIM cards allowed.
The messages are crafted to appear as originating from the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), the predecessor to the CA. However, the CA has urged the public to ignore these messages, stating that they do not emanate from them but from criminals who are out to trick recipients into divulging personal information.
"They do not emanate from CA but from criminals who are out to trick recipients into divulging personal information, including ID card numbers and other important details for fraudulent purposes," said the CA.
The CA has further urged the public to exercise caution and refrain from following the instructions in the messages, including clicking on links provided on social media platforms. The Authority emphasized that mobile operators and their agents are the only entities allowed to register SIM cards.
"As the ICT sector regulatory agency, CA, therefore would have no business seeking personal information from mobile subscribers for purposes of registration," said the Communications Authority of Kenya.
Smishing, a type of scam where fraudsters send SMS texts purporting to originate from a reputable company to trick subscribers into revealing personal information, is the method used in this scam. The criminals use the information obtained to defraud the recipient.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had earlier warned Kenyans about various ways criminals could be using to defraud them, including phishing. Phishing is a cybercrime where a target is contacted by email, telephone, or text message by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into providing sensitive data.
