Daniela Misail-Nikitin
“In recent years, crimes affecting citizens have increasingly shifted to the digital space and the realm of anonymous communications. These platforms are becoming tools for fraud, scams, and hoax calls. In particular, the elderly, vulnerable citizens, and families are being targeted; they are pressured through fabricated scenarios that force them to transfer money to criminals. “Today, a prepaid card can be activated without identity verification, and this anonymity is exploited for illegal activities, making it difficult to identify the perpetrators,” said Minister of the Interior Daniella Misail-Nichitin.
The process of identifying mobile users will be possible both at operators’ points of sale or those of their authorized representatives, and through remote digital methods, such as electronic signatures, electronic identification tools, or digital identity verification processes.
At the same time, safeguards for the protection of personal data are in place. The new rules do not grant access to the content of calls, messages, or location data. Only the data necessary to identify the user will be collected.
The new provisions will apply only to numbers activated after the amendments to the Electronic Communications Act take effect. Users who already have active prepaid cards will not be required to re-register them.
A 12-month transition period is provided for the implementation of the project so that operators can adapt their systems and internal procedures.
Currently, prepaid SIM cards can be activated without identifying the person using them. This allows phone numbers to be used anonymously and creates vulnerabilities for public safety. Anonymous numbers are often used in telephone and cyber fraud, to carry out scams, make harassing calls, and make false bomb threats, and the lack of identification data makes it difficult to identify criminals and bring them to justice.
