foto: TikTok/@liong_68
It is hoped that the story of this woman named Wen will be a lesson in ensuring that cellphone numbers remain active even if they are rarely used.
20 Maret 2024 21:25
Brilio.net - Cell phone numbers are part of personal information that should be kept confidential. Because cellphone numbers are often used to communicate privately with friends, family and colleagues. Not to mention that cellphone numbers are often associated with various online accounts, banking services and other sensitive information.
Therefore, it is important to maintain the security of your cellphone number so that you do not experience what happened to this woman. Through the TikTok account @liong_68, the woman named Wen talked about how much she lost when she forgot to protect her cellphone number. While in tears, he told netizens to continue to ensure their cellphone numbers remained active.
Wen admitted that he rarely used this cellphone number. So topping up credit is not too routine. At one point, he forgot to top up his credit for a long time so the number was considered inactive and invalid by the provider.
photo: TikTok/@liong_68
In this way, the number used is actually resold by the provider. But Wen didn't know this. This incident certainly brought losses to Wen because his bank account and several online accounts were linked to that cellphone number. This could open up the possibility of account theft and material loss.
Sure enough, his cellphone number was bought by someone who was good at breaking into things. He admitted that he suddenly received notification about credit card activity in the form of a withdrawal of 1,200 US Dollars. If converted into rupiah, it is equivalent to IDR 18,864,000.
Another loss that Wen felt was that one of the e-commerce accounts connected to that number was also hacked. The owner of the new cellphone number used the account to spend IDR 500 thousand. He also bears other losses such as responding to messages via WhatsApp. Many people still think that number is the number of a woman named Wen.
photo: TikTok/@liong_68
As a legal step, Wen chose to report to the police. This is intended so that the report letter will later be taken to the provider so that they can take immediate action. Wen hopes that the provider will take investigative steps or at least temporarily block the number.
This experience made Wen uneasy, especially as all of his social media accounts were about to be hacked. Wen admitted that he couldn't sleep at night because the perpetrator often carried out his actions after 12 at night.
However, instead of getting a reassuring response, the provider instead argued that the case could not be followed up. Because, the provider has a rule that if the cellphone number is no longer active, then the number will become the property of the provider. So they have the right to do anything with the number, including selling it.
"What makes me sad is that the provider said that when the grace period has passed, my old number belongs to him (the provider). So they are free to sell my number to any party," he said, quoted by brilio.net , Wednesday (20/3).
photo: TikTok/@liong_68
Even though he admitted that this incident was his own fault, Wen still regretted why the provider did not do anything to protect customers. He felt blamed by the provider for not topping up his credit regularly. In his upload, Wen admitted that he was reluctant to mention the name of the provider.
"The only thing that makes me sad is the way he answers, the way he is handled. I feel like he doesn't have any empathy at all and I never listen to that," complained Wen.
This case of recycling cellphone numbers has actually been busy on social media. Not only Wen, many users have complained about this. Because they don't know who and where the new person who holds the cellphone number is.
It turns out that the reason the provider recycles is because cellphone numbers are a limited resource belonging to the state. This policy is also protected by law, through Minister of Communication and Information Regulation No. 14/2018. The contents say that customer numbers that are no longer used must be used for other potential customers who need them. The grace period between expiring a number and using a new customer is a maximum of 60 days.
Before 60 days, of course there is still a chance to recover a lost cellphone number. Each provider has a different mechanism. Telkomsel, for example, has created 3 ways to recover numbers that are no longer active.
Reporting from the official Telkomsel website, the first way is via a dial code. Customers will be asked to prepare their KTP and Family Card as files and then dial *888*89#. After that, select card reactivation and enter all the requested data.
photo: TikTok/@liong_68
Second, you can use Telkomsel E-Care, namely by contacting Telkomsel customer service and submitting a complaint. Finally, come directly to the nearest GraPARI. Include supporting documents such as KTP, Family Card, burned SIM card, and so on.
@liong_68 original sound -
Disclaimer: This translation from Bahasa Indonesia to English has been generated by Artificial Intelligence.
