[Update] MTN denies recycled cellphone numbers lose funds in mobile money accounts

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Mobile money causing cell number recycling headache in South Africa

Cellphone number recycling is resulting in some South Africans losing access to their mobile money, and mobile operators have to reimburse these customers after deactivating their SIMs and allowing someone else to spend the funds.

The issue was highlighted by Itemate Solutions chief operating officer Robert van Breukelen in a recent interview with eNCA.

Rebuttal:

MTN denies Mobile Money customers losing money due to SIM recycling

MTN has hit back at claims by a software company that users of its MoMo platform were losing money in their wallets due to number recycling.

The rebuttal comes after Itemate Solutions chief operating officer Robert van Breukelen told eNCA that MoMo users were losing money because their numbers were recycled for being inactive.
 
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It's okay, take them to the Ombudsman, let them millions in fines again and refund everyone. Claim you had many thousands of Rands loaded and that their systems are not working.
 
Sounds an easy solution really... just don't recycle ones with mobile money? Maybe also add in an activation charge if not used for more than xxx months, then you still eventually end it if someone disappears

Also maybe they could be using the longer numbers (iot/data only) for mobile money accounts? They don't need to be recycled?
 
It's also the quickest way to get a new second hand WhatsApp or Facebook account. Go buy a sim. Open WA. See who owned it before. Reset their FB PW. I do that every time I get a throwaway SIM for testing.

Kidding, but still... Can't tell you how many times this has happened.
 
richjdavies said:
Sounds an easy solution really... just don't recycle ones with mobile money? Maybe also add in an activation charge if not used for more than xxx months, then you still eventually end it if someone disappears

Also maybe they could be using the longer numbers (iot/data only) for mobile money accounts? They don't need to be recycled?
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Or make those with mobile money dormant for 6 months to allow person to claim the money... But wait. You have RICA and the person would surely have got a new number at some point? Just contact them on that using RICA.
 
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richjdavies said:
Sounds an easy solution really... just don't recycle ones with mobile money? Maybe also add in an activation charge if not used for more than xxx months, then you still eventually end it if someone disappears

Also maybe they could be using the longer numbers (iot/data only) for mobile money accounts? They don't need to be recycled?
Click to expand...
Doesnt work that way. The current icasa rules state that an inactive gsm number must be recycled are a given period, 90 days i think. Mobile money was never part of this discussion and the regulations were never updated
 
Why not moving the money to a trust account against the person who RICA'd the SIM in the first place?

Obviously though the 90 day period is absolutely ridiculous. Should be 3 years or something instead (as is done with other prepaid cards, e.g. Gautrain).
 
Why don't the networks look at how long one has been using the number and come up with better way to recycle.

Minimum would be 5 years of "constant" usage by the same client. Allow those a year to two before recycling, Anything from 10 years above allow more time.
 
Enzo Matrix said:
Doesnt work that way. The current icasa rules state that an inactive gsm number must be recycled are a given period, 90 days i think. Mobile money was never part of this discussion and the regulations were never updated
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Not aware of any Icasa rule but they did take them on for requesting too many numbers. Vodacom is 6 months but also the operators differ in what they consider inactive where at one point, don't know if still the case, you could lose data bundles you were using.

They could make it one year if it wasn't registered on the network. They'd still have a steady supply of "new" numbers, people who didn't use it in that time would be unlikely to use it in future and those who do obviously shouldn't be disconnected. Those with money could be held in trust and be given the chance to transfer to a new number. It's actually archaic for numbers to be tied to SIMs and the ability for numberless SIMs and assigning new numbers to old SIMs have existed for ages.
 
Will be hanging onto my old number for dear life.
Jirre I recently got a new 2nd MTN sim just for data purposes, I haven't seen that much spam in my entire life.
Whoever had that number before me: you got issues man.
 
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MTN denies Mobile Money customers losing money due to SIM recycling

MTN has hit back at claims by a software company that users of its MoMo platform were losing money in their wallets due to number recycling.

The rebuttal comes after Itemate Solutions chief operating officer Robert van Breukelen told eNCA that MoMo users were losing money because their numbers were recycled for being inactive.
 
RaptorSA said:
Will be hanging onto my old number for dear life.
Jirre I recently got a new 2nd MTN sim just for data purposes, I haven't seen that much spam in my entire life.
However had that number before me: you got issues man.
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looks like this is synonymous with MTN sims?

I took an MTN prepaid sim, and using Afrihost mobile data, did the same for the wife. The number of spam is unbelievable. Not just SMS but calls too.
 
“If they cannot remember their MoMo PIN, the customer can then also make use of the self-service PIN reset function to receive an OTP and create a new PIN,” MTN added.
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The MoMo account has a username I assume?
 
naeem said:
looks like this is synonymous with MTN sims?

I took an MTN prepaid sim, and using Afrihost mobile data, did the same for the wife. The number of spam is unbelievable. Not just SMS but calls too.
Click to expand...
Used to get 3 MTN spam messages on Air mobile per day. Moved on over to Melon Mobile and get 1 / 2 a week now if that.
 
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