LILONGWE (MaraviPost)-Legislators have demanded Mobile money companies to payback money which is taken by scammers using the identity of Airtel and TNM staffs.
Members of Parliament for Rumphi East, Kamlepo Kalua said in Lilongwe during Parliamentary committee on Media and communication engagement with mobile stakeholders and the regulatory body.
Kalua said for any mobile company involved in fraud the CEOs of the company should be deducted their monthly salaries and pay back to consumers.
Echoing the same, Lilongwe Nkhoma Mpenu lawmaker, Collins Kajawa said companies that are connected to the malpractice need to be closed as it proves that they have failed their duties.
Kajawa said the committee believes that the service provider are the informant to the scammers and they need to be dealt with.
In her contribution, Machinga legislator Fyness Mangojwa said there is need for tougher punishment to the prison authority once caught doing the malpractice.
“Suspending the officers is not enough there is need of increase of sentence for the officers once caught,” said Mangojwa.
Acting Chairperson for the committee , Jappie Mhango said the Mobile fraud has affected alot of malawians as they are left with nothing.
“Poor malawians keeps on defrauded everyday by the mobile money scammers using the countries mobile phone identity,”said Mhango
In their reaction, Ministry of Homeland security, NRB , Principal Secretary (PS), Mphatso Sambo said, “As one way of securing the mobile money transactions, one Identity card is equal to one Simcard”.
He said the bureau embarks on mass ID printing which requires the ID owner to use a finger print and have reached eight million people so far with IDs in the country.
“People without IDs are given birth certificates but we are looking forward to reach out to more,said NRB
Malawi Prison Service Spokesperson, Chimwemwe Shaba said the Prisons have intensified the search wallet on the check points and main gate as they have discovered that some prison officers are masterminding the fraud habit in the prison cells.
Shaba disclosed that five officers have been dismissed for smuggling phones in the prisons and sentence to 6 months imprisonment with other four on interdiction pending conclusion of their offences.
“In January MK28million was reported defrauded and has been reduced to MK13 million by March 2024 a drop by 53 percent with Airtel while TNM in February 2024 2.7 million was recorded and declined to 2.3 million to march a drop by 15 percent,” said Shaba.
Airtel Managing Director Charles Kamoto said fraud is the activity that relies on deception in order to achieve gain and consumers can avoid it by barring of banked linked sims as the sims swap only done at airtel shops.
TNM Chief Executive officer,Michel Hebert apologies for the allegations that their member of staffs are part of fraud and advised the general public to report to 105 call center if anyone asks for their personal information.
The stakeholders including Airtel, TNM, Malawi Regulatory Authority (MACRA), Malawi Prison, National Registration Bureau (NRB), Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) and Financial intelligent Unit (FIU)and Bankers association.
