Egypt's 'Ghost SIM Lines' Scandal Pushes Officials to Confront Mobile Carriers

A growing scandal over so-called "ghost lines" — mobile phone numbers registered in people's names without their knowledge or consent — has prompted Egyptian authorities to take action against mobile network operators, according to Deutsche Welle Arabic.

The outlet reports that a young man was sentenced to life in prison in a case linked to a SIM card he said he never used, while an Egyptian actress separately discovered that a phone line had been registered under her name without her awareness. The two cases, among others, have drawn wider attention to the practice and its potential for misuse.

Official Response

According to the report, the cases have stirred significant public debate in Egypt and prompted an official response targeting mobile phone companies, as authorities examine how such unauthorized registrations occur and how to prevent them.

Experts who spoke to DW Arabic warned of the risks posed by ghost lines, including the potential for identity misuse and the legal exposure faced by people whose names are attached to numbers they never activated. The experts also discussed possible solutions to close the gaps that allow such registrations to happen, DW Arabic reported.

The scandal has renewed scrutiny of registration practices among Egyptian telecom providers, with the cases cited as examples of how weaknesses in verification systems can have serious consequences for ordinary citizens.