TANZANIA Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has announced new measures to identify phone lines used for online fraud, including recording of all SMS messages.

Felician Mwesigwa, TCRA Director of Sector Affairs, made the announcement during a media briefing in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday where he presented the Tanzania Communications Assessment Report for June to September.

He said the problem of unscrupulous agents registering SIM cards through unauthorized means has exacerbated the issue of online fraud.

The report indicated that Rukwa and Morogoro regions had the highest rates of fraud attempts despite a 28 percent decrease in incidents in other areas compared to the previous report.

“The two regions have consistently ranked highest throughout the year. Some individuals intentionally register SIM cards to exploit fraudulent opportunities. Despite being aware of the legal consequences, they persist. Our mission is to make it harder for them to obtain SIM cards,” he said.

He noted that service providers have adopted technologies to detect and block fraudulent SMS messages and investigate those responsible for registering illicit SIM cards.

The latest TCRA report, published quarterly, revealed that Rukwa and Morogoro accounted for one-third of all mobile phone fraud attempts via text messages. Typical scams include messages asking recipients to send money to specific numbers.

Another prevalent tactic in the two regions involve scammers impersonating network service providers over the phone, instructing individuals to take actions that ultimately lead to their financial loss.

In response, mobile network providers educate customers, stressing that official communications only occur through the designated number 100 and advise them to ignore requests from private numbers.

“Each year, our reports show Rukwa and Morogoro with the highest number of fraud cases. In Rukwa, the leading districts are Sumbawanga (5,198 cases), Nkasi (250) and Kalambo (122). In Morogoro, the most affected districts are Ifakara (3,922) and Kilombero (1,306),” he said.

He added that regions following Rukwa and Morogoro in terms of fraud attempts are Mbeya (1,112), Dar es Salaam (959) and Arusha (351), with incidents varying between 1 percent and 10 percent.