Vodafone investigates fake SIM registration

Story: Charles Benoni Okine & Maxwell Adombila Akalaare

VODAFONE Ghana has began intensive investigations to reveal how fake names and addresses were used to register hundreds of SIM cards used for international gateway bypass by some fraudsters who have found the country a safe haven for their business.
It said it was also collaborating with the National Communications Authority (NCA) to constantly block lines which are used for such fraudulent acts on its network which, according to the company, had become attractive because of the very low tariffs.
The Chief Executive Officer, Mr Kyle Whitehill, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic shortly after some selected newsmen had been conducted round the new ultra modern headquarters of the company at the Airport City in Accra.
He described the issue as worrisome and noted that those found culpable would be made to face the full rigours of the law.
Mr Whitehill also gave the assurance that the fraudulent acts would not force the company into reviewing its present tariff regime upwards but would continue to keep it at its present lowest on the market.
International Gateway Bypass is a growing problem which is costing 3G, GSM, mobile and fixed network operators millions of dollars each year. It is also one of the most severe threats to a telecom operator's revenue.
GSM Gateway operators are  said to be deliberately routing international voice calls to avoid operator charges at the respective interconnection points.
The most common method uses a GSM gateway (often referred to as a ‘SIM box’ or ‘GSM Router’) to terminate Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) on an operator’s network as a local call. Similarly, in fixed networks, switch bypass operators use a TDM Gateway to terminate VOIP on an operator’s networks as a local call.
The “grey route” operator or carrier brings international minutes over the Internet and terminates them as local calls on the GSM or Fixed operator's network, denying the operator the international termination rates.
Global losses due to telecom fraud have reached $35-$40 billion annually. Low cost entry barriers for Switch Bypass and GSM gateway operators are getting lower as Internet bandwidth prices plummet.
Mr Whitehill said the company had put in place some internal mechanisms that allowed kit to detect some of the fraudulent lines and are blocked within two hours.
“What baffles us is how these people manage to activate these SIM cards and we are on our way to unravel those behind it in the company and they will be dealt with,” he said.
With the collaboration of the NCA, National Security and the ???telcos???, two separate gangs have been busted and are being tried.
On why the company moved from its old head office at the Nkrumah Circle, Mr Whitehill said the management of the company wanted a new environment and edifice that would befit the status and strong brand the company had internationally.
“We also wanted to have all the staff in every department, apart from the technicians, to be under one roof to feel a new ambience to be able to deliver their best,” he said.
Mr Whitehill said the new office housed about 650 employees of the company and noted that through this, their work could easily be monitored to ensure effective service delivery.