Singer Efya Calls Out Telcos Over Security Loopholes In OTP System

Ghanaian singer Efya has raised an important concern on social media, questioning why fraudsters are able to send One-Time Passwords (OTPs) to people’s phones seemingly without any restriction or accountability. Her message appeared to be directed at MTN Ghana, a major telecom provider, asking:

“How are fraudsters able to send OTPs to us suddenly with impunity? How did they get our numbers? Why are there no protections?”

Efya’s concern reflects a growing frustration many customers have regarding telecom security lapses, data privacy, and SIM fraud.

Fraudsters trigger OTP messages to users, often part of phishing or SIM-swap scams.

There is no data privacy as people’s personal phone numbers are accessible to scammers.

Users often receive no explanation or action from telcos after reporting such incidents.

These fraudulent messages are sent repeatedly with no obvious intervention. These fraudsters might already have some user data from leaks or social engineering.

They use apps or spoofed systems to trigger OTPs linked to accounts (mobile money, bank, or apps).

If the user responds or clicks any link, they risk losing control of their accounts.

What Can Be Done:

Telcos like MTN should increase transparency and user protection.

Regulators (like NCA Ghana) need to investigate data breaches.

For the reasons above, users should never share OTPs, and report all suspicious messages. Stronger authentication measures and reporting channels are needed.