National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has warned Nigerians to adopt caution while downloading the mobile application for linking national identity number (NIN) with SIM cards.

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had asked all telcos to disconnect SIM cards of persons who have not integrated their NIN with their phone lines by the end of January.

In an interview, Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, had said an application is available to help Nigerians link their NIN with up to seven phone numbers.

“We developed an app. When you go online, you will see it. That app, as long as you have your NIMC number, you will only download it without visiting any office. You will be able to link up to seven SIM numbers to only one. I have already downloaded the app, launched the app, and already linked some of my numbers immediately. This is part of digitalisation,” he said.

But in a Twitter post on Monday, NIMC shared pictures of two different applications, identifying one as approved for linking NIN to SIM cards.

It placed a disclaimer sign on the other picture, identifying it as fake. The agency said the application was not created by the federal government or NIMC, but by fraudsters who use it to collect users NIN and bank verification numbers, thereby putting them at risk.

“The app was not created by NIMC or the Federal Government of Nigeria. It is run by fraudsters who are currently harvesting people’s NINs and BVNs by default. Protect your data and stop disclosing personal information to unauthorised persons or platforms,” the post reads.

The Cable