Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George has announced that the government will soon introduce a centralized SIM registration system that empowers the National Communications Authority (NCA) to blacklist mobile money fraudsters across all networks.
This marks a significant shift in the fight against digital financial crime, ensuring that individuals blocked on one network cannot simply switch to another.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on April 15, the Ningo Prampram MP criticized Electronic Money Issuers (EMIs) and mobile network operators (MNOs) for their failure to act on repeated fraud complaints.
According to him, despite the obvious patterns of fraudulent activity especially scams run through similar-looking phone numbers, telcos often ignore the reports.
“When there is a proven case, especially with these Facebook scams, we keep seeing the same string of numbers used over and over. People report them, but the EMIs do nothing,” he said.
To address this, the new SIM registration system will be hosted directly by the NCA, giving it the authority to blacklist suspicious numbers across all mobile networks. The system will also make it mandatory for telcos to act swiftly when fraud is reported. Failure to comply will result in daily fines.
“If we identify a number involved in fraud and the telco fails to act after being notified, they will face financial penalties,” George warned.
The initiative is part of a broader government effort to curb the rising wave of mobile money scams that have persisted despite past registration drives and public education campaigns. The upcoming framework will focus heavily on real-time reporting, data integrity, and verification through the National Identification Authority.
According to the Minister, this centralized approach will not only make it harder for fraudsters to operate but will also hold telecom companies accountable for neglecting user safety.
The rollout is expected in the coming months.
