Fraudsters take advantage of NIN-SIM card linkage to defraud Nigerians

In January, Nimot Shekoni received a call from an agent representing a popular loan app, asking her to pay off her loan or risk embarrassment. But before she could respond, the caller hung up.

At first, she thought it was just a case of mistaken identity, but she later discovered it was a case of identity theft.

Throughout the month, the calls became more frequent, and the threat of public embarrassment grew more pronounced. Mrs Shekoni’s attempts to explain herself to the callers were futile.

“It was really confusing at the beginning because I have never taken a loan from any loan app. I even tried to explain until I realised that it was a recorded message they played,” she told PREMIUM TIMES in February.

When she could no longer endure the harassment, she called the customer care service of the loan app, where she was informed that a loan had been taken using her phone number. The customer care agent explained that the number was linked to her National Identification Number (NIN).

“It was a mix of emotions for me – I didn’t know whether to shout at her or cry,” she said, adding, “Why would someone use my phone number to take a loan, and how could the company fail to verify the number using OTP or other measures?”

It was only after she threatened legal action against the company that the harassment stopped.

Mrs Shekoni considered herself lucky because loan app companies are often very aggressive in recovering their loans. Some of their tactics include publishing pictures of loan defaulters on social media.

Her case is not isolated. Several people now have multiple phone numbers linked to their NIN without their consent, exposing them to the risk of identity theft.

A member of the House of Representatives, Isiaka Ibrahim, recently announced on the floor of the House that four numbers were linked to his NIN without his knowledge.

“In the past couple of weeks, social media has been awash with reports about the seemingly intractable actions of certain bad actors in our society who have taken advantage of lapses by service providers to make unnecessary incursions into our phones.

“Just last week, a social media user posted online, stating that if you dial *996#—initially, I thought it was yet another attempt at an unnecessary incursion into my phone, but I decided to take the risk. My dearest Speaker, Ibrahim Isiaka, speaking before you, on my Airtel number, there were already four NINs linked to my phone. I saw it as a risk, but I called them, and they asked me to visit their office, claiming it must have been a mistake. If you try it, you will see for yourself,” he said.

The National Identification Number (NIN) is a unique digital identifier for each Nigerian and serves as the country’s foundational database. Nigerian citizens and legal residents are expected to have the NIN. The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is responsible for the issuance and management of the NIN.

In 2021, the Nigerian government, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), mandated the linking of phone numbers to NINs.

The process involves attaching an NIN to a phone number to validate the person who registered the SIM card. According to the NCC, a phone number will not be linked to an NIN if there are discrepancies between the data on the NIN and the data held by mobile telecom operators. The policy allows a subscriber to link up to seven phone numbers to their NIN.

In compliance with the directive, most telecom operators provided self-service platforms for customers to link their numbers via USSD codes or mobile apps.

After several missed deadlines, the government officially ended the grace period and deactivated millions of lines that were not linked. The head of the NCC, Aminu Maida, in 2024, declared that all functioning lines had been linked.

“If this phone number is involved in fraud or any crime, I can now authoritatively say, based on the NIN linked to it, this is the person using that phone number,” he said at an event.

To make it easier for people to check the number of phone lines linked to their NIN, the NCC provided a USSD code (*346#) for verification. Many people have expressed concerns that multiple numbers have been linked to their NIN without their consent.

Alarmed by the issue, the House of Representatives resolved to investigate the matter following a motion of urgent importance moved by Patrick Umoh (APC, Akwa Ibom).

The legislators mandated their Committees on Communications and Interior to investigate the matter.

The lawmakers also urged the NCC to investigate these reports and take immediate action against any telecom service provider found culpable. They also instructed the NIMC to look into the issue.

PREMIUM TIMES contacted the spokesperson of NIMC, Kayode Adegoke, for comments and a possible explanation of the breach, but he refused to speak and asked this reporter to direct all inquiries to the NCC.

Mr Adegoke said NIMC’s responsibility ends at the production of the NIN and that it is not involved in the linking process. However, the parliament disagrees with this and has instructed NIMC to confirm whether the linking of NINs by telecom service providers was authorised and complied with relevant laws and regulations.

This newspaper also contacted the NCC through its spokesperson, Reuben Muoka, who requested more details regarding the breach. He said the claims of multiple unknown numbers being linked to NINs sounded like fiction.

As of the time of publication, Mr Muoka has yet to provide any additional details.

For Mrs Shekoni and many others, this is not about a policy but about identities that could be stolen and used for fraud or crime.

“If a number is linked to someone’s NIN and that phone number is used for a crime, such a person could be tracked down and arrested for that crime using the details in the NIMC database,” Henry Eniotu, a lawyer, told PREMIUM TIMES.

He explained that the evidence is compelling for the prosecutor, which means the victim of identity theft may have a tough time providing counter-evidence to clear themselves.

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“When you notice a number linked to your NIN, you should launch an official complaint because the burden of proof is on you to prove that the number does not belong to you,” he added.

This matter also highlights the issue of trust in the ability of the government and other data-collecting entities to manage and protect citizens’ data.

Last year, Paradigm Initiative, a digital rights organisation, bought the identity of the Minister of Communications, Bosun Tijani, on a website. The organisation said it purchased the minister’s NIN slip online for just N100.

While the government dithers on addressing the issue, many Nigerians on social media now do awareness campaigns to draw the attention of citizens to the danger of identity fraud associated with the NIN/SIM linkage.

This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop