By Ernest Dempsey, Staff Writer

Terrorism and crime are looming over Pakistani soil and hundreds of thousands of people using cell phones have become prone to a rapidly growing problem, namely the plethora of fake cell phone numbers. In many cases, more than a dozen cell numbers are registered using the identity of someone who does not even know about any of these numbers.

The standard procedure for obtaining a cell phone SIM card requires registration at the time of getting the SIM card, the requisite verification document being a photocopy of the customer’s Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC). Since the issuer (a mobile communication company) does not bother to check the original identity card of a customer, people have extensively used photo copies of others’ CNICs, which they get by chance or, in some cases, by deceit. Thus, anyone coming in possession of a photocopy of somebody’s CNIC can easily get a SIM card registered under the identity of that person.

Once the fake-ID SIM is obtained, using it for teasing and crime poses no risk, except of course to the person whose CNIC has been used in registration. People can and have used it in crimes ranging from making hoax calls and teasing to more serious offenses including acts of kidnapping for ransom and terrorism. The public is gradually coming to learn of this problem and usually expressing deep resentment.

It is natural for the affected people to blame mobile communication companies for not taking care in verifying customers’ identities by asking them for producing the original CNIC while registering for a SIM card. Many people believe that mobile communication companies deliberately ignore the fake ID issue so as to maximize the profits coming through multiple registrations on a single CNIC.

But as the number of complaints rise and terrorist violence grows beyond control, mobile communication companies have started to make up for their lapses. Of late, cell phone users have been provided the service of learning about the number of SIM cards issued under their identity. What you do here is send your CNIC number in a text message to the number 668; in a few seconds, you get the number of SIM cards currently active under your ID.

Most customers usually come to know about a few to over a dozen fake-ID SIMs registered under their names. They are also disappointed to learn that they must travel to the concerned mobile company’s office in order to cancel the illegal numbers that they are not using but which are registered under their ID. This is particularly an annoying situation for customers of rural or suburban areas, who must travel dozens of kilometers to the nearest big city in order have the illegal numbers cancelled.

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