The Nigerian Police Force has advised citizens to turn on locks for their Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards.
In a tweet following the arrest of a syndicate, Lagos Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin gave the advice.
The spokesperson disclosed that members of the gang choose phones and throw them away after removing SIM cards.
They use bank USSD, which is frequently PIN-free, to purchase airtime using the stolen SIM cards.
Hundeyin said the criminals proceed to empty their victim’s account one way or the other after gaining access.
“The only SIM cards the syndicate never succeeded with were ones with SIM lock. Activate your SIM lock today,” he urged.
There’s a sharp increase in unauthorised transfers and bills payments causing banks to issue reminders to customers on how to safeguard their accounts.