Govt Reveals Alarming Facts After NEIR Launch: Lakhs of Fake Phones Sold as New

The launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) has brought to light a shocking reality in the country. The government has disclosed that lakhs of fake and duplicate International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers are currently active on mobile networks. However, to avoid disrupting public life, the government has decided not to block these phones but to tag them as 'grey'.

Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb shared this information in a Facebook post on Friday (2 January) night. Expressing concern, he said these low-quality fake phones have not undergone radiation tests or any safety checks. As a result, both users' health and data security are at risk.

In the post, he wrote: "After NEIR launch, horrifying facts about cloned phones have emerged! There are lakhs of fake IMEI numbers on the network. For example, '1111111111111', '0000000000000', '9999999999999' and similar patterns. However, at this stage, we are not blocking these IMEI numbers. Lakhs of citizens are using these low-quality fake mobile phones. These phones have never undergone radiation tests or various types of safety tests. These phones are extensively active on the networks of four mobile operators. The government will not take any step that creates inconvenience in public life. These phones will not be blocked; they will be tagged as grey."

He further wrote: "As per the total count over the past 10 years, just one IMEI number 99999999999999 has 3 crore 91 lakh 22 thousand 534 different combinations (Document ID+MSISDN+IMEI). Smartphones as well as various IOT devices may have such IMEI. Although operators cannot separate IMEI of mobile devices, SIM-connected devices, and IOT devices. For example, it could be that CitiB or such devices have been imported with the same IMEI number. We have started the work of separately tagging legitimately imported IOT."

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb highlighted a Bangladesh Bank report of 2024, stating that 73 percent of digital fraud occurs through unregistered mobile phones. According to joint data from BTRC and MFS institutions, 85 percent of e-KYC fraud in 2023 was committed using illegitimate mobile phones or reprogrammed handsets. In 2023, 1.8 lakh phone thefts were reported (with several lakhs more unreported), and most of these mobile phones have not been recovered.

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said: "It is unimaginable and unprecedented fraud that citizens of Bangladesh have been sold fake mobile phones in the name of unofficial new phones. It is urgent to rein in this cycle."

"We had estimated that there is a proliferation of cloned and fake mobile phones, but we did not realise the severity was this deep."