Safaricom fired 33 staff for engaging in fraud-related activities in the full year ending March this year.
In its annual report, the telco said this was a 37.5 percent jump compared to the 24 employees sent home in the previous year.
SIM-Swap was the mainly affected, with the telco noting that fraud cases had increased during the period. Safaricom curbed the cases through monitoring and digitization.
“Safaricom has a whistle-blowing policy that provides for an ethics hotline managed by an independent, accredited, and external institution. Through the hotline, anonymous reports on unethical/fraudulent behavior can be made without fear of retaliation from the suspected individuals,” it stated.
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Sim swap fraud is whereby fraudsters replace and take over the customer line. Safaricom says that fraudsters go to the extent of registering an existing number on a new SIM card in order to intercept notifications, one-time passwords, online banking profiles, and transactions, as well as changing the account security settings.
The telco says this fraud can be prevented through the use of SIM lock, strong passwords, and keeping personal information off social media.
The telco changed the system for SIM replacement, and it presently demands that anyone seeking to replace their SIM cards to physically visit the nearby Customer care center.
