The Bank of Zambia (BoZ) in collaboration with the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA), have intensified awareness programmes to curb fraud activities in the country.
Bank of Zambia Payment Systems Department Manager, Maria Katepa, observed that scammers have been duping customers with their hard-earned money by sending unsolicited messages asking them to reverse fake transactions.
Ms. Katepa said this is why teams from Bank of Zambia and ZICTA have joined hands to conduct awareness on digital financial services (DFS) and fraud activities.
She noted that through sensitization programmes, consumers will be informed and be able to protect themselves from crimes of fraud.
“We have noted over time that fraudsters are engaging themselves in fraudulent activities to scam unsuspecting customers on their hard earned money by sending those messages asking them to reverse transactions,” she said.
Ms. Katepa said this yesterday when a team from Bank of Zambia and ZICTA officials paid a courtesy call on the district administration in Kasama.
The team is conducting awareness campaign programmes to educate consumers on the issues of digital financial services (DFS) and fraud activities which have been on the rise lately.
And ZICTA Manager for Consumer Protection and Information, Edgar Mlauzi, noted that cybercrime has the potential to affect digital transformation.
Mr. Mlauzi said the authority will close down any agent who will be found selling pre-registered sim cards.
He disclosed that last month, the authority deactivated about 2.1 million sim cards which were fraudulently registered.
He has since advised the public to report any suspected case of fraud or any anomaly that they find with their sim cards
“ZICTA has introduced short codes such as *101# which reveals the number of sim cards that have been registered in one name as well as the *707# for purposes of scam and unsolicited messages. So when you discover any suspected case, report such,” he said.
And Kasama District Commissioner, Elizabeth Mpandashulu, commended the team for coming up with such an initiative.
Ms. Mpandashulu has since urged the team to also consider reaching out to people in rural areas.
How do you move from Zicta which is in Lusaka to Kasama? Why not Central Province or Chongwe member of parliament which is close, Is the owner of Lusaka Times a kasai? i can only imagine as the reporting in most articles says it all,most of it is all abt the northern block. Nothing else!