Audio By Carbonatix
A SIM Box syndicate operating at Community 11 in Tema in the Greater Accra Region have been busted in a combined operation by officials of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), KelniGVG and the Ghana Police Service.
A total of 11 SIM Box equipment with the capability of using 352 SIM cards simultaneously were retrieved from the premises along with other illicit equipment used for the criminal activity.
It is estimated that an amount of $1,938,816 in both revenue and taxes have been lost per month assuming each device operated at an average of 18 hours per day.
NCA, GRA, KelniGVG and the Ghana Police Service are continuing with their investigations and will provide further details in due course.
The February 19, 2020 raid is the third since December 2019. One other SIM Box operator arrested in January 2020 has been granted police enquiry bail whiles the operators of another SIM Box syndicate whose premises were raided and shut down in December 2019 are on the run.
The Fraud Management component of the Common Platform detected numbers used to illegally terminate international inbound calls as local calls.
Further investigations in collaboration with the mobile network operators (MNOs) led to the detection of the location of the SIM Box devices.
The Electronic Communications (Amendment) Act, 2009, Act 786 established the minimum rate for international incoming voice calls at US$0.19 through the licensed international gateways.
The use of SIM Boxes to bypass the legal routes for terminating calls in Ghana leads to loss of revenue and taxes to both the state and MNOs.
It is therefore a criminal offence to operate a SIM Box for the purposes of terminating international calls in Ghana. Offenders are liable to penalties that range from fines to terms of imprisonment.
The NCA and GRA working with KelniGVG and the Ghana Police Service are committed to detecting and apprehending SIM Box fraudsters in the country.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Health professionals urged to translate medical knowledge into practice to save mothers
6 minutes -
Conflicts among care providers linked to maternal, neonatal deaths – Expert
2 hours -
GIS marks 10th TIME conference, champions improved teaching practices
2 hours -
BRICS Or Balance? What Ghana’s bid really means
2 hours -
GPRTU wants full TRAFFITECH-GH implementation to start in 2027
3 hours -
Mahama announces plans to import electric wheelchairs for PWDs
3 hours -
KGL U17 Colts 2026: Western beat Prempeh Elite Academy to set up final final with Greater Accra Region
3 hours -
Late Solanke strike salvages 10-man Spurs draw at Man United
3 hours -
Gender Ministry to monitor welfare of Nana Akua Addo’s children amid domestic violence case
3 hours -
Benedict Okyere Yeboah: Ghana’s football problem goes beyond sacking a coach
3 hours -
GPL 2026/27: Darkwah Wiafe’s winner sees All Blacks beat Kotoko
3 hours -
ITF World Tour : Patel Wins Boys’ Singles Final at J100 Accra
4 hours -
Ghana must pursue BRICS partnership if it brings economic benefits – Kpebu
4 hours -
Success and Wright Claims J100 Accra Girls’ Doubles Championship
4 hours -
ITF J100: America’s Wright wins J100 Accra Girls’ Singles Title
4 hours