Tanzania forms task force to address surge in cybercrime, financial scams

Friday, November 22, 2024 - 3 min read

Home Affairs Minister Hamad Yusuph Masauni speaks during a meeting of communication stakeholders with Home Affairs and Information, Communications, and Information and Communication Technology ministers held on Friday, November 22, 2024 in Dar es Salaam to deliberate on the lasting solution of cybercrime incidents. Right is the Information, Communications, and Information and Communication Technology minister Jerry Silaa. PHOTO|GADIOSA LAMTEY

By Gadiosa Lamtey

Business Reporter

Mwananchi Communications Ltd

What you need to know:

The task force, established in partnership between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Information, Communications, and ICT, will involve stakeholders from various sectors to address incidents that have already exposed Tanzanians to the threat of scams.

Dar es Salaam. The government has formed a special task force to combat cybercrime, focusing on Rukwa, Morogoro, Dar es Salaam, and Mbeya regions, which are currently leading in the number of such incidents.
The task force, established in partnership between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Information, Communications, and ICT, will involve stakeholders from various sectors to address incidents that have already exposed Tanzanians to the threat of scams.
This announcement was made on Friday, November 22, 2024, during a meeting between communication stakeholders and the two ministers, Mr Hamad Yusuph Masauni and Mr Jerry Silaa, who met to discuss alternative ways to tackle cybercrime.
During the event, Mr Masauni said the task force would begin its work immediately, adding that the permanent secretaries from both dockets would meet soon to discuss individuals who will be part of the team before meeting the ministers.
“Technology is always evolving. The police force and stakeholders have continued to contain these criminals using various IT systems, but we have observed that this is not enough. There is a need for a special operation, as the theft has led to many Tanzanians losing their money,” he said.
The government’s move comes after the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) reported that from July to September this year, fraud attempts decreased by an average of 28 percent, from 22,257 incidents in the quarter ending June to 16,069 incidents.
Additionally, the police force's crime report for 2023 revealed that a total of Sh5.067 billion was stolen last year through mobile money networks, bank transfers, and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), as confirmed by a police report.
The report stated that 431 suspects were arrested, including 358 men and 73 women.
Most of these fraud incidents were linked to financial transactions through mobile phone accounts (3,115 incidents), followed by money transfers from banks (291 incidents).
ATM-related fraud incidents were the least frequent, with only 291 reported cases.
Of the stolen amount, the police were able to recover just Sh288.7 million. The police report also identified possible causes of cybercrime, including economic hardship, lack of integrity, urbanization, globalization, youth unemployment, and the desire to accumulate wealth illegally.
Mr Masauni urged the public to continue collaborating with the police by reporting such incidents.
On the other hand, Minister Silaa noted that the sector continues to embrace technologies, including the use of Artificial Intelligence, to stop these criminals.
"We have agreed with telecom companies and all relevant stakeholders to continue collaborating to address this challenge," he said.
Minister Silaa also called on the public to verify their SIM cards using National Identification and to report any suspicious activities to the relevant authorities.
“It is prohibited to share your phone password with any person, and if someone asks you to give them your password, you will make fraud easier, we will continue to collaborate with mobile companies to protect the users,” he said.