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EFCC, NCC Hunt Fraudulent Telecom Firms

Posted by Vanguard on 2005/09/26 | Views: 567 |

EFCC, NCC Hunt Fraudulent Telecom Firms


Disturbed by the rise in reports of financial scams within the telecom industry, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) is now working with the EFCC to track fake telecom companies.

Disturbed by the rise in reports of financial scams within the telecom industry,  the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC)  is now working with the EFCC to track fake telecom companies.


Some of the companies licensed by the NCC placed adverts that could not be substantiated,  others sold vouchers without credits to customers  while some operated for a while and closed shop  after gathering money that  belonged to other operators.


Most of the pre-paid companies owed NITEL  for carrier services as much as N600 million and folded  up their business without a notification to NITEL or the  NCC.


Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Mr Ernest Ndukwe said at the weekend in Kaduna that the commission had already blacklisted five  pre-paid companies involved in such activities.
'Some of them are actually ‘419' operators  and the EFCC is looking at such cases and  they will face the music after investigations."


 Ndukwe said the commission had also started  work with the Consumer Protection Council  (CPC) to ensure that telecom consumers were  not exposed to 'various tricks by companies  to fleece them," especially  those who placed  adverts on regular basis.
On signs of distress in the industry, Ndukwe said some of the Private Telecom Operators  (PTO)  otherwise known as fixed wireless operators  had been asked to merge in order to survive the  competition.


Ndukwe said they would need technical  expertise and strong financing to survive.
He said the commission had not made  the idea of merging a policy as obtained in the  banking sector but would find different avenues   of getting the operators to agree.


Ndukwe who decried the death of Mobitel boss, Mr Alaba Joseph, said the commission had kept an eye  on the industry  to ensure healthy competition, fair treatment  of  subscribers and adherence to other internationally acceptable standards of operation.


The commission had already  started a process to withdraw licenses given  to some of the operators who faulted this  conditions attached.


 

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