By B. Linus Flomo
(freelancer)
One of the acting Commissioners of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), Patrick Honnah, has disclosed that Lonestar Cell MTN has been authorized to block fraudulent numbers engaged in impersonation and fund solicitation.
Speaking during a press briefing held at the Ministry of Information and Cultural Affairs recently, he said, due to reports of fraud through registered GSM numbers, the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) is reviewing a plan to deploy a fraud dragnet aimed at trapping perpetrators across Liberia.
According to him, the decision follows a complaint from the Commerce Minister, Amin Modad, who reported unauthorized use of his name to solicit funds from individuals across the country.
“We are in the process of launching a fraud dragnet to track people who are using registered GSM numbers to defraud others,” Commissioner Honnah emphasized.
He said numerous Liberians have fallen victim to such schemes, with their registered numbers being exploited for illicit purposes.
He therefore used the occasion to urge citizens to promptly report such incidents to the Liberia Telecommunications Authority and the appropriate actions will be taken to address them.
Commissioner Honnah further assured the public that the program will be rolled out expeditiously to address the scourge of impersonation and fraud across the county.
“The program will be launched by the Ministry to reduce the issue of impersonation to defraud people,” he assured.
Commissioner Honnah underscored the importance of collaboration between the LTA and the public to combat cybercrime effectively.
