Use *315# to check phones before buying, NCC tells Nigerians
“Before you buy the phone, dial *315# and confirm that the phone is fully verified before you pay,” he said. The post Use *315# to check phones before buying, NCC tells Nigerians appeared first on Vanguard News.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) regulates the telecoms sector, including setting standards for devices that connect to local networks. Counterfeit and substandard phones, as well as handsets with cloned or tampered IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers, have long been a concern in Nigeria, exposing buyers to devices with poor build quality, security vulnerabilities, or ones that can be easily blacklisted and disconnected from networks if linked to theft or fraud.
The *315# USSD code appears to be part of the NCC's ongoing consumer-protection efforts to let buyers confirm a phone's authenticity and network-approval status before completing a purchase, particularly relevant given Nigeria's large market for both new and used/fairly-used ("Tokunbo") phones. All three reports agree on the core advice — dial the code before paying for a device — with Premium Times adding that the initiative is meant to curb the circulation of fake and substandard handsets and attributing the guidance to the Commission's Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity. None of the reports detail how long the service has existed, how widely it has been publicised, or what penalties, if any, apply to sellers of unverified devices.