Scam: see if your CPF is used on prepaid cell phones – 08/09/2023 – Market

Scammers can buy a prepaid chip and use the cell phone line on behalf of another person, without raising suspicion. To do this, you just need to have a CPF (Individual Taxpayer Registration) number in hand, which is easy to obtain nowadays, given the number of times we are obliged to inform the document on websites on the internet.

To contain such frauds, five telephone companies -Vivo, Claro, TIM, Algar and Sercomtel- maintain the Cadastropre.com.br website, where it is possible to check whether there is any prepaid cell phone chip in the name of the consumer.

The consultation can be made by the citizen informing the CPF number. If you find a line in your name, you can contact the operators and report the fraud, requesting cancellation.

How can I check if I have a prepaid chip?

• Visit the website cadapre.com.br
• On the home page, click on consult
• Enter your CPF and click below to inform that you are a human
• On the next page, an image of an animal will appear; click on the side to inform the animal in the photo and go next
• If necessary, answer more questions to show that you are not a robot trying to do the query.
• Then go to “Consult”
• If there is no cell phone in your name, the following message will appear “Across the national territory, the CPF consulted does not have an active prepaid line at the participating Providers.”
• Information is updated every 30 days
• If necessary, make a new query

If there is any chip in the consumer’s name, it will be informed in which operator it was registered in the register. No further information is offered due to confidentiality and privacy issues. Data such as customer name, phone number and number of lines are omitted.

The initiative, which has existed since 2020, has the support of Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency). The agency reinforced procedures against scams using prepaid chips. Since 2021, enabling a new chip on the cell phone requires a series of procedures, even so, the citizen may have a line in his name and not even know it.

“If the consumer finds any unexpected result in the query, he may contact the appointed provider, through the available service channels and, if applicable, request the cancellation/disconnection of the line”, guides the telecommunications agency.

To do this, in Cadastropre, just click on “Provider Contacts”, where the access links to the operators’ websites will be. The customer can enter it and register the complaint. There is also the option to call and request a cancellation at each of them. The numbers are also on the website.

The Brazilian Association of Telecommunications, Conexis, says that the initiative was born as a way to avoid scams in this modality, to ensure “that the registration base of mobile telephony is correct and up to date”, which provides more security to customers.

Lucas Marcon, lawyer for the telecommunications and digital rights program at Idec (Brazilian Institute of Consumer Defense) says that the digitalization of services is often a factor that exposes consumer data on the internet, which has led to the emergence of a greater number of scams and frauds.

“It is necessary for the consumer to take active care to prevent their personal data from being misused to create false accounts and records.”

If there is an unrecognized line, it is necessary to ask the operator for cancellation and there is a deadline for this request to be met, explains the lawyer. The request must be answered within 24 hours, if it is made through an attendant. Otherwise, the deadline is up to 48 hours.

Marcon sees the initiative of the telecommunications companies as positive, which, at the time, was closely monitored by Idec.

“Although it is not the solution to the problems in the telecommunications sector, our understanding is that the initiative is interesting because it allows the consumer to monitor active prepaid lines registered with his CPF, that is, in his name, and then check if there are previous open lines or if there was a fraudulent registration of new prepaid lines.”

What do I do if I have an active prepaid line in my name?

According to Macron, if there is an active prepaid telephone line with the operator, the recommendation is for the consumer to contact the company to check if it is an old line or if it is a fraudulent line.

Can I lose my prepaid line?

Consumers who have a prepaid chip may lose their line. According to Anatel’s rules, services may be suspended 15 days after the consumer is notified of the need for a new recharge. If, after 30 days, there is no credit, the line is allowed to be blocked.

In partial blocking, it is possible to receive calls, but it is not possible to make calls or send SMS. Internet use is also suspended on the prepaid line.

When the total block occurs, the user can only make calls or send SMS to public emergency services, in addition to accessing the operator’s call center.

What do I do if I lose my cell phone line?

After blocking the line, the consumer will have another 30 days to place credit. If you don’t do that, you lose the line and it won’t be possible to have the same number. You will need to buy a new chip with a different number.