Parliament Orders Removal of MPs' Phone Numbers Over Fraud Concerns

The leadership of Parliament has taken decisive action to protect legislators from a wave of sophisticated telephone scams. During a recent parliamentary sitting, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa directed the Clerk to Parliament to immediately erase all personal telephone numbers belonging to Members of Parliament from official online platforms.

According to Tayebwa, parliamentary investigations revealed that conmen are actively harvesting lawmakers’ contacts from Google and other digital directories. These fraudsters then use the acquired numbers to orchestrate elaborate impersonation schemes, targeting the legislators themselves.

Legislators have increasingly voiced concerns over persistent calls from individuals posing as senior government officials, security chiefs, and parliamentary leaders. In many instances, the scammers fabricate emergencies or solicit financial contributions for funerals, weddings, and official functions. Others attempt to lure unsuspecting targets with deceptive business deals.

This security challenge is not entirely new to the House. During the 11th Parliament, several MPs, including Tayebwa, flagged similar incidents where scammers utilized fake identities to extract money. While removing contact information from official databases is a necessary preventive step, security experts note that safeguarding personal data remains an ongoing battle, as fraudsters may have already copied information stored across various external platforms.

Read more details on this development at the Nile Post.