According to the latest quarterly industry performance report from the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), between October and December 2024, TCRA deactivated and blacklisted a total of 12,896 SIM cards suspected of being used in fraudulent activities. Releasing the report in Dar es Salaam, TCRA Director General Dr. Jabiri Bakari noted that the number of mobile fraud incidents fell by 19% compared to the previous quarter — the number of blacklisted SIM cards dropped from 16,002 in July–September 2024 to 12,896 in October–December, a reduction of 3,106 lines.
In terms of regional distribution, the Rukwa Region remained the worst-hit area for fraud, with 5,305 reported fraud incidents; Morogoro Region followed closely with 4,278 reported cases; the remaining regions were, in order, Mbeya (930 cases), Dar es Salaam (765 cases), Katavi (281 cases), Arusha (260 cases), Songwe (150 cases), Mwanza (132 cases) and Tabora (122 cases).
Data at the operator level showed a clear divergence: fraud attempts rose by 6% for Halotel, 12% for TTCL, and surged by 52% for Airtel; while Yas (formerly Tigo) and Vodacom recorded declines of 75% and 9% respectively.
Dr. Bakari emphasized that TCRA continues to successfully monitor and identify fraudulent calls entering the country, and implements appropriate measures to reduce the number of reported incidents. This decline reflects the government’s commitment to cracking down on such criminal activities. He also called on the public to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious calls or SMS messages.
