The Communications Authority of Maldives (CAM) has revealed that it will determine how many Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards can be used under an individual's name within the next six months.
CAM announced the change in the sale of SIM cards for mobile phone services over the increase in crimes committed using communication devices. Scam calls or fraudulent extortion cases are increasing day by day in the Maldives and it is mainly carried out with the use of SIM cards.
The majority of people who have bought mobile SIM cards in the Maldives are foreigners, according to statistics published by the Maldives Police Service (MPS). Commissioner of MPS Mohamed Hameed said recently that foreigners who do not live in the Maldives have taken an average of 5,000 SIM cards per person. He said that the SIM cards taken in their names are used for crimes, scams, and acts of terrorism. He said that one of the most important steps taken by CAM was to stop selling pre-activated SIM cards. The SIM card will now be activated after the service provider receives the full details of the customer.
Speaking about the efforts being made to prevent scams, the Chief Executive of CAM Ilyas Ahmed said that the information on SIM users has not been maintained in the best way in the Maldives. He said the relevant authorities have recently met to discuss the issue of fraudulent extortion or scam call and steps mentioned in the meeting are being taken.
Additionally, Ilyas said the change in the SIM card issuance rules is one of the steps taken to ensure the use of SIM cards and verification of information. He said the issue of having multiple SIMs in one's name should also be solved. Noting that there are very large numbers of SIMs in one's name, He said the maximum number of SIMs that can be withdrawn in one's name will be determined within the next six months. However, he did not say how many SIMs will be issued in the name of one person as it is not final.
Furthermore, Ilyas said the number of SIM cards issued to locals and foreigners will be different and certain criteria will also be set. He noted that it is more common in the Maldives to have someone else instead of the individual who took the SIM, therefore he said the individual who registered for the SIM should take full responsibility.
MPS has taken many measures in the past four years to curb crimes using SIM cards. A total of 3,130 actions have been taken to prevent scam calls. These include blocking 817 mobile phones from being used within any telecommunications provider in the Maldives, blocking 10 Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and disconnecting 2,796 SIM cards.