Pre-activated SIM cards can be bought easily at stores (Photo: SGGP)

By carrying out a large-scale inspection in the whole city, the HCMC Department of Information and Communications is checking law observance in registering, storing, and managing information of mobile phone subscribers of the five telecoms carriers here, namely Viettel HCMC, MobiFone Service Co. Area 2, VNPT HCMC (member of VinaPhone), Vietnamobile Mobile Telecoms JSC. – HCMC Branch, Global Mobile Telecoms JSC. – HCMC Branch (Gmobile).

The inspection has revealed certain law violations like using IT software to fake data or change citizen ID card number on the captured image of personal documents when signing a telecoms service contract, selling pre-activated or those pre-entered with subscriber information without successfully contract signing, using personal documents without permission to sign a telecoms service contract.

Therefore, the inspection team of HCMC Information and Communications Department has imposed administrative punishments to 10 telecoms service provision stations with the total fine of VND610 million (US$25,700), and has asked for service termination to 1,710 violating SIM card owners.

After this thorough inspection, the status of registering and managing pre-paid SIM card ownership in HCMC has seen positive changes. The task of comparing data provided by mobile SIM card subscribers and those stored in the National Population Database is a breakthrough in SIM card subscription management.

Director Lam Dinh Thang of HCMC Information and Communications Department stated that in the upcoming time, state management agencies are going to cooperate with telecoms businesses to perfect the system for updating information of mobile SIM card subscribers. Advanced technologies will be implemented to ensure convenience and time-effectiveness in the information input process.

The Ministry of Information and Communications said that by August 30, 2023, it will have completed handling cases of individuals and organizations illegally owning multiple SIM cards (over 10 cards). Deputy Director Tran Duy Hai of the Telecoms Authority under this Ministry informed that at the beginning of this July, the Ministry requested all telecoms service carriers check the information of their business clients (more than 3 million), which was finished half a month later. At present, these carriers are reviewing data of individual subscribers who own multiple SIM cards and handle law violations.

Data checking for subscribers that have multiple SIM cards include updating personal information, reviewing the commitment with service carriers to understand the purposes of use, or temporarily stopping service provision for customers to clarify their ownership and use.

Deputy Director Hai said that the elimination of junk SIM cards will be maintained for a long time. This time, the Ministry of Information and Communications is focusing on addressing cases of SIM card subscription name does not match the card user’s name due to campaigns to stimulate subscriber quantity growth of telecoms businesses in previous periods.

The Information and Communications Ministry hopes that via its three stages of handling for the last 2 years, the incident of junk SIM cards can significantly be improved, preventing one of the main sources for junk and scamming message distribution. In the event that fake documents are used to register for a SIM card or personal information is taken advantage of in order to carry out this process, the inspection team of this Ministry will call for the police to continue the case.

Citizens are asked to cooperate with telecoms carriers to update their own information, contributing to stopping ill-intention people from using SIM cards bearing someone else’s names or the cards with anonymous status to perform scamming tricks and harming the social order and security.

Statistics by the Ministry of Information and Communications show that in October 2022, there were over 5,700 individuals who own more than 100 SIM cards and 261 people who have more than 1,000 SIM cards nationwide. This is one major reasons for the status of junk SIM cards, junk calls, and junk messages that have wrecked havoc on social security and order. People whose names are used illegally in such activities may get involved unwantedly, gravely affecting their interests.

Source: SGGP