"You have to update your line's details now": the customer-service call that isn't from th
Someone claims to be from your mobile operator: the line will be cut unless you update your details on this call. The telecom regulator says updates never happen by phone.
Kansel2 min read
The call
"This is customer service at your mobile operator. Your line isn't registered under the new ID card and we need to update the details now, or the line will be cut within 24 hours." Then: your ID number, please. Or "a code is on its way, read it to me so we can confirm the update".
The trick is built on something real: operators did send messages asking line owners to visit branches and sign contracts in their own names. The scammer takes that news and turns it into a call.
What the telecom regulator said
The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) issued more than one warning in 2026, and the whole of it fits in one sentence: customer data is never updated over the phone; it happens only in the operators' branches. It warned about calls in which people impersonate customer-service staff to collect personal details and use them to break into mobile wallets.
It also said that official calls from operators or from the authority itself show up with the company's name; an unknown or international number is most likely not official.
A line is not cut by a phone call. If there is a real step to take on your line, you'll learn it from a message that carries the operator's name, and it is done at the branch, with your ID in hand.
Why do they want the code?
Because one of two things is happening in the background: either they are opening your mobile wallet on another phone and the code is the confirmation step, or they are requesting a replacement SIM (a SIM swap) in your name, after which every bank and wallet message goes to them. Either way, the code is the door.
Signs of the scam
- A call from a number that doesn't show the operator's name.
- A threat to cut the line and a short deadline.
- A request for your ID number, a code, or a PIN during the call.
- "You can update from here without going to the branch."
What to do
- Hang up. For any doubt, call your operator on its official short number, or go to the branch.
- Nobody gets a code from you. Not for updates, not for confirmation, not for "protection".
- If you gave a code or details: call the operator immediately, tell your bank and wallet, and ask to freeze SIM replacement on your line.
- The NTRA hotline is 155 for any complaint about fraud calls.
- Report the number in Kansel.
