In a major move to tackle fraud and improve mobile security, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has revealed that over 5.8 million inactive SIM cards have been blocked across the country. This action is part of their ongoing efforts to safeguard consumers and ensure the integrity of the mobile network.
According to PTA, a crackdown was conducted against illegal SIM cards during the fiscal year 2023-24, and under data cleansing measures, inactive SIM cards were blocked. More than 5.8 million inactive SIM cards were either blocked or recycled.
PTA also took action against those involved in fraud with mobile phone users, blocking 5,294 mobile numbers involved in deception over the year. Additionally, 4,507 IMEI numbers linked to fraud and deception were blocked.
In the previous fiscal year, 113 individuals’ identity cards involved in fraud were blocked, and PTA issued warnings to 19,730 mobile numbers within a year.