By Mackie M. Jalloh
Freetown, Thursday, 13 August 2026, Orange Sierra Leone has launched a new Scam Alert and Fraud Reporting Tool, giving customers a dedicated channel to check, verify and report suspected scams as government institutions, regulators, cybersecurity experts, consumer protection authorities and civil society organisations called for stronger collaboration to tackle the growing threat of digital fraud.
The initiative was officially launched on Thursday, 13 August 2026, at the Orange Digital Center, Alpha Wurrie Drive, Hill Station, Freetown, bringing together representatives from government and regulatory institutions, the Financial Intelligence Unit, consumer protection authorities, cybersecurity professionals, civil society organisations, the media and other stakeholders.
At the centre of the initiative is Orange Sierra Leone’s new *505# Scam Alert service, which customers can use to enquire about suspected scam alerts and report suspicious activities.
Speaking at the launch, the Chief Executive Officer of Orange Sierra Leone Madam Aicha Toure, said the initiative is intended to strengthen customer protection, combat fraud and reinforce trust in Sierra Leone’s expanding digital ecosystem.
The CEO noted that the growth of digital services has also created new opportunities for fraudsters, with customers increasingly being targeted through fake promotions, fraudulent calls, social media scams, phishing and impersonation.
According to Aicha,fraudsters sometimes falsely claim to represent Orange and attempt to obtain customers’ personal information, Orange Money PINs or security codes.
The CEO issued a clear warning to customers, stressing that Orange will never ask customers to disclose their Orange Money PIN, password or other security credentials.
The CEO said the Scam Alert Reporting Tool will give customers a simple and accessible way to check, verify and report suspicious numbers, messages, promotions and other fraudulent activities.
The platform is also expected to assist Orange in identifying emerging fraud patterns, responding more quickly to reported threats and working with regulators and law-enforcement agencies to disrupt fraudulent activities.
The CEO described fraud as more than a problem affecting individual customers, saying it can have wider consequences for families, businesses, financial inclusion and confidence in the digital economy.
The launch also comes amid growing national concern over mobile-money and online fraud. The CEO referenced discussions in Parliament in July 2026, where concerns over digital fraud reportedly prompted calls for stronger consumer protection, increased public awareness, greater accountability and closer cooperation among telecommunications operators, regulators and law enforcement agencies.
Representing the Financial Intelligence Unit, the FIU representative commended Orange Sierra Leone for introducing the initiative, describing it as an important step towards strengthening customer protection and trust in digital financial services.
The representative said the increasing use of technology, while creating opportunities for communication and financial transactions, has also provided criminals with new avenues to exploit unsuspecting members of the public.
The FIU has observed reports involving fraudsters impersonating individuals or trusted persons, compromising social media accounts and deceiving victims into transferring funds through digital payment platforms.
Such activities, the representative said, can cause financial losses to individuals and businesses while undermining confidence in the financial system.
The FIU representative stressed that the fight against fraud, cybercrime and financial crime cannot be successfully undertaken by one institution alone.
Instead, it requires collaboration among mobile network operators, financial institutions, regulators, law-enforcement agencies and the public.
The FIU welcomed initiatives that encourage timely reporting of suspicious activities and improve public awareness, while urging citizens to verify requests carefully before sending money and to be cautious of urgent requests received through social media and messaging applications.
The representative also promoted a three-D strategy detect, deter and disrupt as part of efforts to strengthen the digital financial ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Bernadette, Manager of Consumer Relations at the National Consumer Protection Commission, speaking on behalf of the Commission and its leadership, welcomed Orange Sierra Leone’s Scam Alert mechanism as an important development for consumer protection.
She said consumers are increasingly exposed to fraud as mobile and digital financial services become more widely used.
She identified fake promotions, impersonation, phishing and unauthorised transactions among the forms of fraud affecting consumers.
The Commission commended Orange for establishing a mechanism through which customers can more easily report suspicious mobile transactions and fraudulent activities.
However, she stressed that consumer protection must go beyond providing a reporting channel and must include sustained consumer sensitisation and public awareness.
She warned consumers never to disclose their PIN, password, one-time password (OTP) or other confidential security details to anyone claiming to represent a telecommunications company or financial institution.
Consumers, she said, should verify suspicious requests through official channels and make responsible use of the reporting tools available to them.
A representative of civil society organisations William Sai Lamin, Executive Director of Accountability, also welcomed the initiative but stressed that combating digital fraud requires a whole of society approach.
William said telecommunications operators, government institutions, regulators, law-enforcement agencies, financial institutions, civil society organisations, the media and consumers all have important roles to play.
Civil society organisations, the representative said, are particularly important in promoting public awareness, digital literacy, community education and accountability.
Citizens need to understand how scams are created, how to identify suspicious calls and messages, how to protect personal information and where and how to report suspected fraud.
Sao Lamin urged Orange Sierra Leone and other stakeholders to ensure that reporting tools remain accessible and easy to understand, particularly for people with limited digital literacy and vulnerable groups.
Public education, he said, should not be restricted to Freetown but should reach communities across the country through radio, schools, community engagements, social media and other accessible communication channels.
He also called for sustained collaboration between Orange, government institutions, law enforcement, financial institutions and civil society to ensure that reports are handled promptly and transparently.
According to the civil society representative, the launch should not be viewed as the end of the process but as the beginning of a sustained national campaign to create a safer digital environment.
He recommended regular public awareness campaigns, periodic reporting on emerging scam trends and stronger mechanisms for gathering consumer feedback.
A Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) analyst, representing the National Cybersecurity Coordinator, described the initiative as an important development from a cybersecurity perspective.
The analyst said threat intelligence is a critical component of cybersecurity because authorities and security professionals cannot effectively respond to threats they do not know about.
He encouraged the public to use Orange’s reporting platform, stressing that reports provide valuable intelligence that can help identify emerging threats and determine appropriate responses.
However, he raised an important concern about the need for proper investigation and verification of complaints before action is taken against customers.
He cautioned that the reporting mechanism could potentially be abused through false or malicious reports, including a situation where someone could falsely report another person’s number in an attempt to have the person’s SIM blocked.
He therefore urged Orange Sierra Leone to ensure that reports are thoroughly investigated and properly verified before punitive action is taken.
The concern highlights the need to strike a balance between rapid intervention against genuine fraud and protecting customers from false accusations or wrongful restrictions on their accounts and SIMs.
The different stakeholders at the launch ultimately agreed that fighting digital fraud requires more than technological solutions.
It requires public awareness, responsible reporting, effective investigations, information sharing, institutional cooperation and consumer vigilance.
Orange Sierra Leone urged customers to remain alert and to pause before responding to suspicious requests.
Customers were reminded never to share their PINs, passwords, OTPs or other security credentials and to verify information through official channels.
For customers who encounter a suspected scam, Orange has introduced the *505# Scam Alert service, which can be used to enquire about scam alerts and access the reporting mechanism.
The event ended with a shared commitment to strengthening trust and safety within Sierra Leone’s digital ecosystem, with stakeholders emphasising that digital innovation must be accompanied by security, accountability, consumer protection and responsible use.
Orange Sierra Leone’s message to customers was clear: “Check, verify, report.”
