By Our Reporter
The Delta State Police Command has warned Nigerians against fraudulent SIM card registration using stolen personal information, cautioning that unsuspecting victims could face criminal investigations over offences committed with phone numbers registered in their names.
The command advised subscribers to visit official offices of telecommunications companies to verify all phone numbers linked to their National Identification Numbers (NINs) and request the removal of unfamiliar lines.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, issued the warning in a security advisory shared on X on Friday, alleging that some operators of small telecommunications outlets were secretly using customers’ personal information to register additional SIM cards without their knowledge.
According to Edafe, some SIM registration agents collect customers’ personal details under the guise of registering their phone numbers but use the information to register entirely different lines, which are subsequently sold to individuals involved in criminal activities.
He explained that unsuspecting customers could unknowingly provide sensitive information, including their names and other personal details, without realising that the agents were registering additional phone numbers in their identities.
Edafe said some fraudulent agents would later claim that the network was poor and advise customers to visit another outlet after completing the unauthorised registration.
He warned that such SIM cards could end up in the hands of fraudsters, kidnappers and other criminals, exposing the identities of the individuals whose NINs were used to register them.
The police spokesman cautioned that victims could find it difficult to establish their innocence when criminal activities were traced to phone numbers registered with their personal information.
He said, “Whatever offence they commit with that SIM card, then your NIN, your name and your other very important details, it becomes almost your responsibility and it will be difficult to prove that it was not you who committed that particular offence.”
Edafe disclosed that the command was investigating a related case but declined to provide further information because investigations were still ongoing.
He urged Nigerians to visit official service centres of MTN, Globacom and other telecommunications operators to obtain details of all phone numbers registered against their NINs.
He particularly advised subscribers to request the immediate removal of any number they did not recognise or use.
“My brother and my sister, any number that you find there that you know you are not using, please ask them to delist it. That’s the most important advice,” he said.
The police spokesman stressed that the verification exercise was necessary even for people who had registered their SIM cards at authorised telecommunications centres, noting that additional numbers could have been linked to their identities without their knowledge.
He further warned that criminals could exploit such illegally registered lines to carry out financial fraud, kidnapping and ransom-related operations.
According to him, victims could face serious difficulties defending themselves if phone numbers registered with their NINs were used to defraud people of millions of naira or facilitate kidnapping and ransom demands.
Edafe therefore urged Nigerians to exercise caution when dealing with SIM registration agents and avoid disclosing sensitive personal information to unverified operators.
He also reminded members of the public that ignorance of the law was not an excuse, urging them to take proactive measures to protect their identities from criminal exploitation.
The Delta State Police Command reiterated the importance of verifying SIM registration records and advised subscribers to conduct all registration and verification exercises through official telecommunications service centres.