Uganda Police Force Warns Public of Fake Phone Hacking Message Circulating On Social Media

4 October 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Grace Gichuhi

Uganda Police Force warns public of fake phone hacking message circulating on social media

IN SHORT: Social media posts circulating in Uganda claims that if you're being "hacked", dialling *#61# will reveal the number trying to hack you, while ##002# will permanently disconnect it. But this doesn't work.

A Facebook post circulating in Uganda is warning users about possible phone hacking. It claims that dialling "*#61#" can reveal the hacker's number, while dialling "##002#" will "knock the hacker off permanently".

The message has been attributed to the Ugandan police.

It reads: "ATTENTION PLEASE If your Phone/Line has been hacked, quickly dial *#61# the number that appears on your phone is the number that hacked your Phone/Line. Then dial ##002# to knock the hacker off permanently. Please send to others for Safety & Protection of our Phones/Mobile Lines."

Hacking and cybercrime are becoming increasingly common in Uganda. Reports indicate that online fraud, including bank fraud and identity theft, has risen sharply in recent years. For example, Interpol noted that approximately USh14 billion (about US$4 million) was lost to cybercriminals in one year, with banks being frequent targets of hackers.

The Uganda Police Force has acknowledged the rise in cybercrime and has launched efforts to improve cybersecurity, particularly in the financial sector. However, many cases go unreported as financial institutions tend to hide breaches to avoid alarming their customers.

This highlights the need for increased awareness and robust security measures in Uganda.

The message also appears here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.) But is it legitimate? We checked.

Ignore fake message

Experts point out that while *#61# is often used to check call forwarding settings, it does not identify hackers. Similarly, ##002# can disable all call forwarding features, but neither of these actions provides any real protection against hackers.

The Uganda Police Force, through its official X account, flagged this message as "FAKE".

"FAKE MESSAGE ALERT The Uganda Police Force wishes to inform the public that a message circulating on social media platforms is FALSE and FAKE!" it wrote.

The claim also appears here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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