Zalo to disable accounts tied to reclaimed SIMs in partnership with Viettel

Zalo announced that, together with telecom operator Viettel, it will implement a new management mechanism for accounts registered with phone numbers that have been deactivated or reclaimed by the carrier. Viettel will regularly supply a list of such inactive or cancelled numbers, and Zalo will cross‑check its user base, prompting owners of affected accounts to replace the phone number within a set timeframe.

Users who do not update will have their Zalo accounts disabled to prevent unauthorized access, protect personal data stored in the cloud, and curb fraud linked to “re‑issued” SIMs that were previously tied to banking, e‑wallets, or social media. The measure follows Vietnamese telecommunications regulations and aims to eliminate “SIM trash.” By mid‑June, around 18 million inactive subscriptions were slated for retrieval, according to the national telecom authority.