Roskomnadzor has already blocked more than 3 million SIM cards issued in violation of the law

CrimeaPRESS reports:

More than 3 million SIM cards were registered on the Russian market that were issued with violations — some of them were used by fraudsters for illegal purposes. Now all these SIM cards have already been blocked, and operators continue to work on verifying subscriber data and identifying violators.

In the first half of 2024 alone, telecom operators have already blocked more than 3 million SIM cards issued in violation of the law. Since November 2023, a total of 3.7 million SIM cards issued in violation of the law have been blocked or contracts for them have been terminated, TASS in the press service of Roskomnadzor.

Roskomnadzor is currently monitoring the reliability of information in operator databases. For this purpose, a special information system was created in 2023, which ensures verification of information taking into account data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Tax Service and the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA); all telecom operators have already connected to it.

As a result, over the entire monitoring period — from November 1, 2023 — 76.9 million violations of the reliability of subscriber information were identified. Of these, 69.8 million violations were corrected — operators entered correct data.

3.7 million SIM cards issued in violation of the law were blocked or contracts for them were terminated. Of these, 3.1 million were in the first half of this yearthe department reported.

Currently, telecom operators continue to work on verifying information and updating subscriber databases. If the regulator identifies false information, operators are sent requests to clarify the data. Then, within 15 days, the operator must contact the subscriber and update them. If the subscriber does not confirm the information about himself, the operator is obliged to stop providing communication services to this number, otherwise he may be held liable — the fine is up to 2 million rubles.

It is important that all operators comply with these requirements. SIM cards with unverified user data should not work.— the press service of Roskomnadzor emphasized.

The process of verifying subscriber data should be completed by telecom operators this year, notes Anton Nemkin, a member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications. Thanks to this work, it will be possible to filter out a large number of «gray» numbers that are actively used by fraudsters today.

In addition, during the verification process, Roskomnadzor also identified 265 citizens who have more than a thousand SIM cards each. In total, they own over 1.1 million mobile numbers. And, although there are currently no restrictions on the number of SIM cards that can be purchased with one passport in our country, in such situations, violations of the legal process of issuing a card or potentially fraudulent actions on the part of the subscriber, dealer or telecom operator are clearly visible. Therefore, today it is really worth thinking about limiting the number of SIM cards that one subscriber can register for himself. I am sure that most citizens do not even need a second SIM card — not to mention a third and a tenth. Nevertheless, in the process of combating fraud, this could become an important toolsays Nemkin.

Today, “gray” SIM cards can be used for anonymous calls and messages, making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to track criminal activity, including terrorism, fraud and other types of illegal activity, the deputy recalled.

In addition, the use of «grey» SIM cards causes economic damage to both telecom operators and the state. These cards are usually sold illegally and can be used to bypass standard tariffs, which leads to loss of income for operators and a decrease in tax revenues to the budget. The illegal sale and use of «grey» SIM cards also disrupts fair competition in the telecommunications services market, putting legal operators at a disadvantage and making it difficult to invest in infrastructure and improve service quality.— says the deputy.

Prompt blocking of “gray” SIM cards helps protect law-abiding users and improve overall network security, noted Nemkin.

Such SIM cards are often used for spam mailings, mobile payment fraud and other types of cybercrime that can harm citizens. By blocking «gray» SIM cards, operators can significantly reduce the number of fraudulent activities and protect their customers from financial losses and privacy violations. Now, in the conditions of the information war against Russia, we cannot afford to discuss how to deal with «gray» SIM cards, how to block them, and so on. We need to act quickly. This is already an undoubtedly negative phenomenon that poses a threat to our citizens — we cannot leave them in such a vulnerable position, so the legislation in terms of providing the population with high-quality and safe communication services will definitely be improved— the parliamentarian concluded.

source: press service of the State Duma deputy Anton Nemkin

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