Transfer to the police to handle subscribers owning more than 10 SIM cards in violation

The Ministry of Information and Communications has requested the Departments of Information and Communications to work with and request centers and branches of mobile telecommunications enterprises to provide data on registration of large numbers of SIM cards with unusual signs. Photo: Thach Thao

The Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Information and Communications) said that by mid-July 2023, businesses had reviewed and clarified ownership for all 100% of organizational subscribers. Network operators had processed nearly 20% of the total number of documents with multiple SIMs.

Reviewing and clarifying for subscribers owning multiple SIMs includes tasks such as: Updating accurate information; reviewing commitments to ensure that customers use multiple subscriber numbers in accordance with the registered usage purposes in the contract; temporarily suspending the service to request customers to review and clarify ownership.

“To prevent bad guys from taking advantage of registering subscribers under multiple SIM cards, activating them in advance, selling them widely..., taking advantage of this to commit fraud, affecting social order and safety, the Ministry of Information and Communications continues to request mobile telecommunications businesses to resolutely and timely review and clarify customers who own more than 10 SIM cards,” said a representative of the Department of Telecommunications.

Currently, the Telecommunications Department is directing the concentration of resources, reviewing and clarifying subscribers owning multiple SIMs, with the goal of ensuring that the person whose name is registered for the subscription is the person using that subscription number.

The Ministry of Information and Communications continues to assign telecommunications enterprises to review and clarify the ownership of subscriber numbers by organizations and individuals who have signed contracts according to the model and general transaction conditions with telecommunications enterprises; notify customers in the list of subscribers owning multiple SIMs, requesting them to update the correct information of the actual user/owner of that subscriber number.

“The removal of SIM cards that do not comply with regulations is a process, so this work will be continuously reviewed and required to be carried out by businesses. In this phase of handling, the Ministry of Information and Communications focuses on handling the situation of SIM cards registered under the name of one customer, not matching the user, in reality there are individuals who own hundreds of SIM cards... This existence is due to the rapid development of businesses in many previous phases. This is one of the reasons leading to the situation of junk SIM cards, junk calls, and junk messages causing disorder in social security and affecting the rights of users themselves. Users can even be implicated if the SIM cards in their name are used in illegal activities. With 3 phases of handling in the past 2 years, the Ministry of Information and Communications believes that it will completely reduce the problem of junk SIM cards, thereby preventing a major source of spreading spam and scam messages,” said a representative of the Department of Telecommunications.

In fact, in the past, there were still individuals and organizations who pre-activated, activated many subscriber SIMs and sold and circulated them on the market without changing the information according to regulations. There were still cases of buying and using SIMs that had been registered with other people's information in violation of regulations. These violations included subscribers with incomplete or inaccurate information, falsifying documents to register subscriber information, taking advantage of and illegally using other people's information to register and activate SIMs.

“The Ministry of Information and Communications has requested telecommunications enterprises to strictly handle violations according to the Government's direction. During the inspection process, if violations such as intentionally falsifying documents to register subscriber information, taking advantage of and illegally using other people's information to register and activate SIMs, causing consequences, depending on the level of violation, the inspection team will transfer it to the police for further handling,” said a representative of the Department of Telecommunications.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Information and Communications in October 2022, there were 5,710 individuals owning more than 100 SIMs and 261 individuals owning more than 1,000 SIMs nationwide.

The Telecommunications Department believes that in the past, there may still be a situation where people are not aware that they are using their own information to register for a subscription and then giving it to someone else to use, without following the correct transfer procedures. After the SIM number is registered and given to someone else to use, it is very possible that the user of that phone number is not aware and takes advantage of this to commit illegal acts. When the authorities look it up again, they will look for the person who originally registered the SIM information. At that time, the law enforcement agencies will strictly handle these subjects.

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