[TRENDING VIDEO] Delta state police command warns Nigerians against SIM card identity theft scam
The Delta State Police Command has warned Nigerians against a growing identity theft scam in which fraudsters allegedly use unsuspecting individuals’ personal information to register SIM cards for criminal activities.
The command cautioned that victims could face police investigations and legal consequences for crimes committed using phone numbers fraudulently registered with their identities.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, raised the alarm in a security advisory shared on X on Friday, warning that some operators of small telecommunications outlets allegedly collect customers’ personal details under the guise of registering SIM cards.
According to Edafe, the agents secretly use the information to register additional phone numbers without the customers’ knowledge, which are subsequently sold to individuals involved in criminal activities.
He explained that unsuspecting customers could provide sensitive information, including their names and other personal details, believing the information was solely required to register their intended phone numbers.
“You can just go and say I want to register an MTN SIM card. They will tell you, okay, what’s your name? What’s your mother’s maiden name? What’s this? What’s that? And eventually, you will not even know that they are not registering your SIM card but they are registering another SIM card entirely,” he said.
The police spokesperson added that victims might be told that the network was poor and advised to visit another registration outlet, without knowing that additional SIM cards had already been registered with their identities.
He warned that criminals could subsequently use such numbers to perpetrate fraud, kidnapping and other offences, potentially exposing the unsuspecting owners of the registered identities to criminal investigations.
“Whatever offence they commit with that SIM card, then your NIN, your name and your other very important details, it becomes almost your responsibility and it will be difficult to prove that it was not you who committed that particular offence,” he cautioned.
Edafe disclosed that the command was already investigating a related case but declined to provide further details because investigations were ongoing.
He advised Nigerians to visit the official offices of telecommunications companies, including MTN and Globacom, to verify all phone numbers linked to their National Identification Numbers (NIN).
“My brother and my sister, any number that you find there that you know you are not using, please ask them to delist it. That’s the most important advice,” he warned.
He further stressed that subscribers should carry out the verification even if they registered their SIM cards through authorised telecommunications offices, as other numbers could have been linked to their identities without their knowledge.
The police spokesperson also warned that fraudsters could exploit the illegally registered numbers to defraud unsuspecting victims of millions of naira or facilitate kidnapping operations and ransom demands.
“If they use your number to defraud somebody of 20, 30, 40 million, my brother, my sister, it will be difficult for you to say you are not aware. If they use your number to collect ransom money, if they use your number to kidnap somebody, if they use your number to call for ransom money, it will be very difficult to say you are not aware,” he warned.
The Delta State Police Command urged residents to remain vigilant when dealing with SIM registration agents, protect their personal information and ensure that every phone number linked to their NIN belongs to them.
The command reiterated the importance of using official telecommunications service centres for SIM registration and identity verification.
WATCH VIDEO:
VIDEO: Important security Information from @Brightgoldenboy the Delta state Police Command about your BVN, NIN and phone numbers.
@PoliceNG
@deltapolice https://t.co/9yKHSbfKLh— NewsClick Nigeria Media (@NewsClickng) November 6, 2026
