NON COMPLIANCE TO FIC LAW

Urgent Complaint Regarding Truecaller’s Failure to Verify Users Properly

I am writing to formally raise my concerns regarding your platform’s inadequate verification process for users and phone numbers displayed on your app. Your failure to verify users through their cellular network providers has created a significant loophole, allowing impersonators to falsely present themselves as legitimate businesses or individuals.

This negligence has severe consequences, as *****sters are exploiting your platform to deceive and obtain sensitive information from unsuspecting people. By failing to implement a robust Know Your Customer (KYC) methodology, Truecaller is indirectly enabling identity ***** and misleading the public.

I have firsthand proof of how Truecaller’s inaccurate number identification has caused serious confusion. While working as a call center agent at IconAf, I experienced two incidents where Truecaller misrepresented the number I was calling from:

I made an outgoing call to a prospect who believed I was calling from Nedbank, as the number appeared under Nedbank’s name on Truecaller. When I clarified that I was calling from IconAf, the client immediately hung up.

In another instance, a client mistakenly thought I was calling from Teasers strip club. I had to quickly clarify that I was, in fact, calling from IconAf.

These misidentifications severely impacted my ability to conduct business, damaged the credibility of my employer, and misled consumers. I have email records of my communication with the former branch manager of IconAf regarding this issue. Unfortunately, the branch I worked at shut down last year, but the issue remains a major concern.

Under South African law, any company that collects, stores, and processes client information is obligated to comply with the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). If Truecaller continues this passive approach and does not take immediate action to verify users through their network providers, I will be left with no choice but to report your non-compliance to the relevant authorities.

Should Truecaller fail to rectify this issue, I will escalate the matter to the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) and the Information Regulator of South Africa. Non-compliance with KYC regulations carries severe penalties, including fines of up to R10 million.

I strongly urge Truecaller to take immediate corrective action to verify users more effectively and prevent the continued misuse of your platform for *****ulent activities. Please provide me with an official response outlining the steps you will take to address this issue.