Egypt's NTRA warns of mobile fraud and investigates unauthorized line registrations

The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) in Egypt has issued urgent warnings to citizens regarding fraudulent calls claiming to require mobile data updates. This follows a significant rise in complaints, which have doubled from approximately 3,000 to 6,000 recently, concerning mobile lines registered in citizens' names without their knowledge.

In response, the NTRA has referred Egypt’s four major mobile operators—Vodafone, Orange, WE, and e&—to the Public Prosecutor to investigate these discrepancies. The regulator has also instructed these companies to halt the sale and activation of new lines through institutional entities and to notify existing customers whose data does not match their actual users, requiring them to sign new contracts.

To address unauthorized registrations, citizens can visit mobile company branches to submit a ‘non-possession form’ to immediately deactivate lines registered in their names. Furthermore, the NTRA announced that a new biometric authentication system, utilizing facial recognition, is expected to be fully implemented by September to ensure accurate user verification and prevent future misuse of personal data.