Latvia’s Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) hopes to ban unregistered prepaid SIM cards in Latvia within a month.
In an interview with Latvijas Radio, the politician explained that the Ministry of the Interior has submitted a proposal to prohibit the use of unregistered SIM cards that are not linked to a specific individual. The measure is intended to curb telephone fraud.
According to Kozlovskis, in many European Union member states unregistered SIM cards are already banned. As a result, such fraudulent activities tend to concentrate in countries where this type of regulation has not yet been introduced, including Latvia.
He is convinced that the proposal will spark debate; however, the minister hopes the issue can be resolved within a month.
As previously reported, deputies of the opposition Apvienotais saraksts (United List) parliamentary faction have submitted a formal inquiry to Minister Kozlovskis, requesting clarification regarding his actions and responsibility in combating telephone fraud.
The deputies are also asking whether a complete ban on “SIM box” services is being considered, which, in their view, has proven in other countries to be an important step in stopping anonymous fraudulent calls.
Earlier, at a meeting of the Criminal Law and Penalty Policy Subcommittee of the Saeima’s Legal Affairs Committee, Jānis Brazovskis, board member of the Finance Latvia Association, stated that last year residents were defrauded of at least 15 million euros through various schemes, with elderly people living alone most frequently becoming victims while seeking opportunities for social interaction.