Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) says it will introduce Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system to combat mobile phone theft and mobile money fraud.

Tchingira campaign coordinator Mphatso Chaluluka disclosed this in Zomba during one of the roadshows that MACRA is conducting across the country to prepare the citizenry before the launch of the system.

“We are doing these campaigns across the country to raise awareness so that people should not be misinformed when MACRA launches the system,” he said.

Chaluluka said the system will deal with rampant theft of mobile devices across the country, increase in mobile money fraud and proliferation of counterfeit mobile devices on the Malawian market.

“The CEIR is a central database containing IMEI’s of handsets registered under mobile Network Operators in the country,” Chaluluka said.

Among others, the system will empower mobile users to trace or block their handset if lost or stolen, to check if a phone is original or counterfeit before purchasing and check if a handset is not blacklisted before buying.