THE government needs to take urgent action to curb the growing wave of cybercrime targeting mobile money transfer and SimBanking services.

Farkharia Shomari Khamis (Special Seats) demanded in a heated questions-and-answers session in the legislature yesterday that when the government will decisively address mobile banking fraud and how many perpetrators have been arrested so far.

She also raised concerns about persistent spam messages clogging phones, with several MPs demanding stronger security systems to combat rising cases of digital fraud and identity theft via mobile phones.

Esther Matiko (Special Seats-Chadema) in a follow-up question, described how her phone number was hacked and used to solicit money from individuals known to the MP.

"This is a national crisis," she said, asserting that people are being conned through phone calls from scammers pretending to represent mobile networks. “We need a clear public statement from the government. People are being tricked into revealing personal details and end up losing their money," she stated.

Mohammed Maulid Ali (Kiembesamaki), proposed that police establish a fast-access crime database to help track and deal with online fraudsters more efficiently.

Maryprisca Mahundi, the Communication and Information Technology deputy minister, said in response that the government is intensifying public awareness through precautionary campaigns to alert phone uses on digital safety.

"The police have been equipped with modern tools and are actively investigating and prosecuting cybercriminals. Many offenders have been taken to court, and their SIM cards deactivated," she said.

"The public must avoid sharing personal information with strangers and be wary of ‘too-good-to-be-true’ money offers online," she stated, underlining that most victims fall prey as they trust unsolicited messages and unknown callers.

"There’s no such thing as easy money. Don’t get involved with people you don’t know or schemes promising fast cash," she emphasized, affirming that police have crime databases, pursuing legal procedures to investigate cybercrime offences.

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) report for the third quarter of the current fiscal year said that mobile phone subscriptions have reached 90.4m, while internet user cards stand at 49.3m.

With advances in information and communication technology come significant challenges—including cyber theft linked to sim banking, she said.

Unsuspecting users are tricked into giving up sensitive information, leading to financial loss, she added.