Stricter and more widespread use of biometric authentication by mobile operators could help reduce the growing Sim-swap fraud menace in South Africa, according to the Communications Risk Information Centre (Comric).
Comric is a shared intelligence hub set up by the big operators, including Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Liquid Intelligent Technologies, as a joint effort to fight fraud, including Sim-swap scams and other communications-related crime in South Africa.
Responding to questions from TechCentral, Comric said identity theft is at the core of Sim-swap fraud, meaning any interventions that better protect identity – including biometric authentication – should help reduce the rate at which Sims are hijacked.
Sim-swap fraud is when criminals trick or bribe a mobile provider into transferring a user’s phone number to their Sim, intercepting banking codes and messages to steal money or data.
“Fingerprint verification will reduce and possibly even eradicate identity theft if all systems with a population register are integrated into fingerprint or biometric verification systems or platforms,” said Comric CEO Thokozani Mvelase. “It will go a long way in reducing Sim-swap fraud, and is an added enhancement to existing authentication protocols.”
Mobile devices are becoming more crucial in people’s lives, providing access to banking and online shopping accounts, for example. For criminals, the allure of Sim-swap fraud has only grown stronger as a result.
For mobile operators, Sim swaps present a dilemma. On one hand, the process must be secure enough to prevent criminals taking advantage of any loopholes and potentially causing harm to consumers. On the other, operators have a duty to get their customers reconnected as quickly and seamlessly as possible, especially since they need their devices to access most of the platforms they use to organise their lives.
Other gaps
MTN South Africa announced last week that it would roll out a biometric authentication system to all its stores. The system uses fingerprint and facial recognition technology.
Cornelia van Heerden, executive for customer operations at MTN South Africa, said biometric authentication will “dramatically reduce” identity fraud, especially when it comes to Sim swaps. According to Comric, however, there are other gaps in the system that must be attended to.
Read: MTN beefs up security to fight ID fraud
“We have to strengthen [security] at the point of registration of a Sim card. There are weaknesses currently in the registration of Sim cards, especially in the prepaid segment. Also, we need to ensure the population register is accurate and up to date when various verification platforms integrate or connect to it for verification,” said Comric.
Sim card registrations are under the legal remit of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (Rica). Rica’s Sim registration rules have come under fire as they are easily and widely circumvented by vendors who do bulk registrations and sell pre-registered Sim cards to customers.
“The more we transition into digital transacting, especially on platforms that require you to approve via your mobile device, the more risk there is. It is therefore important to review your own risk profile and update continuously your passwords or those security protocols required for a Sim swap,” said Comric. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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