General News of Friday, 5 May 2023
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
The Ministry of Communication and Digitisation, National Communication Authority and the National Identification Authority launched a Sim Card Verification code to allow sim card users verify if their Ghana Card is linked to other numbers other than theirs.
The Code, *402*1#, took effect on Monday, May 01, 2023 and it’s expected to take subscribers through the process to check if their phone numbers are linked to only their Ghana Card.
But reports indicate that some subscribers are using either pre-registered sim cards or have their Ghana Cards used to register other phone numbers without their knowledge.
In an interview with GhanaWeb, some people expressed worry that their data collected by the NIA is in circulation for wrongful usage.
“The Ghana Identification Authority, with their attempt of issuing those Ghana Card, there should be some form of credibility and clarity. Because surprisingly people have access to people’s Ghana card and using it. I think there should be some kind of prompt system to alert anytime your card is used. For me, I have my contact linked to my Ghana card so if it is used to register anything I should receive a notification on phone alerting me that my card has been used. So immediately I receive such notification and I know I did not authorise it, then I use another code to prompt the NIA,” a concerned individual stated.
Others also suggested a simpler and easier process to delink unknown numbers from one’s Ghana card instead of the cumbersome process of going to the telco’s service centres.
“Once you’ve been able to sit in the comfort of your home to check if your Ghana card is linked to other people, you would have to go to the authorities to have been rectified. Why don’t they have a code to have you sit in the comfort of your home to report the issue to the NIA,” another added.