MTN urges customers to be vigilant of new SIM swap scam

Johannesburg - Mobile service provider MTN has warned customers of a SIM swap scam which seeks to obtain people's private information.  

“In this scam, a supposed MTN call centre agent requests the customer’s security details under the pretext that they are blocking the processing of a SIM swap request that is being made on the subscriber’s number without their knowledge or authorisation,” MTN said in a statement.

The network explained that the scammers will then proceed to use the customer’s responses that they obtained during the call to perform a fraudulent SIM swap.

“It is important for customers to know that MTN will not contact customers from its call centre to block the processing of a SIM swap request,” MTN said. 

• READ: SIM-swap fraud: Consumers must be alert

Once a SIM swap is completed, the scammers can then use the customer’s details for other fraudulent activities such as unauthorised contract upgrades.

MTN advised that when performing a SIM swap, customers have a few options available to them: 

For post-paid: customers are required to visit a MTN store to activate their SIM swap, and they will be required to produce an ID document. 

For pre-paid: customers are able to process a SIM swap via a USSD code, call centre or by visiting a MTN store. When opting to visit a MTN store, subscribers will be required to produce an ID document. Subscribers who choose to activate remotely will be required to complete security questions.

“In our continued quest to combat fraud and scams, again we urge our customers not to respond to unsolicited calls and requests for their security details from an unknown number,” MTN reiterated. 

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