Dar es Salaam. The government is stepping up efforts to combat mobile fraud by strengthening cooperation between regulators, telecom companies and security agencies, with a special meeting planned for August to identify new ways of tackling the threat.
Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology, Ms Angellah Kairuki, made the statement yesterday during the official launch of the Communications Statistics report for April–June 2026.
The meeting will gather the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), telecom operators and security agencies to assess suitable measures to combat fraud, particularly in areas identified as sources of such incidents.
She said Rukwa and Morogoro regions are among the areas that require greater attention as the government seeks to identify the roots of mobile fraud and prevent offenders from exploiting communication networks to defraud the public.
Ms Kairuki said measures already taken have started bearing fruit, with monitoring and investigations conducted by the TCRA in collaboration with security agencies identifying 7,334 mobile lines linked to fraudulent activities between April and June 2026.
The figure represents a 25.29 percent decline from the 9,817 lines linked to fraud between January and March this year.
The investigations and operations were conducted in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mbeya and Mara regions, targeting individuals suspected of using mobile lines to defraud members of the public.
“We conducted monitoring and investigations into fraud across mobile networks and identified 7,334 mobile lines involved in fraudulent activities,” she said.
She said TCRA has also continued directing telecom operators to tighten controls over the registration of mobile lines, particularly those registered outside regulatory requirements or suspected of being intended for fraudulent activities.
The government’s efforts are being matched by telecom operators, who say customer awareness and stronger digital security are increasingly important as more people move their activities online.
However, Ms Kairuki said the fight against fraud could not be left to the government and telecom companies alone, calling on citizens to take greater responsibility for protecting themselves in the digital environment.
She said TCRA was continuing with public awareness campaigns, including “Futa! Delete! Kabisa”, which encourages people to delete fraudulent messages instead of forwarding them, and “Sambaza Mchongo na Sio Uongo”, which urges users to verify information before sharing it.
Another campaign, “Kwea Kidijitali”, is aimed at improving public awareness of safe digital technology use, while SIM-card verification campaigns encourage users to ensure their mobile lines are correctly registered.
The minister urged users not to disclose PINs, OTPs, passwords or other confidential information, and warned them against clicking on unknown links.
“We call on citizens to verify information through official sources and report suspected fraud immediately, as mobile and internet use continues to expand across Tanzania,” she added.
According to figures presented by the minister, mobile subscriptions reached 116.95 million in June 2026, up from 111.91 million in March.
Internet subscriptions also rose to 62.79 million, while internet usage increased by 11.65 percent to 141 petabytes during the quarter.
Smartphone penetration reached 44.74 percent in June, up from 42.55 percent in March.
Ms Kairuki said the growth shows that mobile phones and internet services are increasingly becoming essential for businesses, education, government services and other daily activities, making digital safety an important part of the sector’s continued expansion.
Commenting on the report, Airtel Tanzania managing director, Mr Charles Kamoto, said operators were working to ensure customers could access the opportunities created by digitisation while protecting themselves from emerging forms of fraud.
He urged customers to be particularly careful with confidential security information, including one-time passwords (OTPs), which fraudsters can use to gain access to customers’ accounts and services.
“Never, ever share a one-time password,” Mr Kamoto said, stressing that customers should treat such information as strictly confidential.
He said telecom operators were also strengthening customer registration and verification systems and sharing information with customers about attempted fraud and ways of protecting themselves.
According to Mr Kamoto, the growth of digital services means cybersecurity must develop alongside the expansion of the digital economy, as customers increasingly use mobile networks for communication, financial services, business and other activities.
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