Did you misplace your phone or had it stolen from you? If yes, you would want to immediately block your SIM card to protect against identity theft or someone else getting access to your finances. In this article, we’d discuss how to block an MTN SIM card in Nigeria whenever the need arises. We will also give you guidelines on how to retrieve your previously blocked MTN SIM in Nigeria.
Read on.
How to block MTN SIM Card in Nigeria would be discussed below:
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Why You Need to Block MTN SIM Card
The situations that would warrant you to want to block your MTN SIM card may be that you misplaced your phone or it was stolen from you. In situations such as these, blocking your SIM card is very crucial as it protects against identity theft or someone getting access to your funds.
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Ways to Block Your MTN SIM Card in Nigeria
There are certain available options to take to block your MTN SIM card in the event of theft or loss of your mobile phone. You may choose any of the options we’ll be providing shortly in this article to block your MTN SIM card. Read on.
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How to Block MTN SIM Card with IMEI
First off, IMEI is an acronym that stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It’s a unique 15-digit number every phone has. This number can be found printed inside the battery compartment of your phone or by dialing *#06#.
You may wonder how this 15-digit number can help block your MTN SIM. First, you need to have the IMEI number of your lost or stolen phone handy. Then, visit any Nigerian Police Force Station closest to you to file a report about the loss or theft of your phone.
With your phone’s IMEI number and a copy of your filed police report, you can visit any MTN Office near you to ask that your phone be blocked. After the staff of MTN has determined that you are genuine, they can go ahead and blocklist your lost/stolen phone from accessing the MTN network using the IMEI you provided them with. When this is done, anybody that has your stolen or misplaced phone wouldn’t be able to use your MTN SIM card for anything on that phone.
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How to Block Your MTN by Calling 180
180 is the toll-free number that subscribers to the MTN network can call when they need remote assistance. When you call 180 (with another MTN SIM), choose the option to speak with a customer care agent.
When you are eventually connected with an agent, inform him (or her) that you want to block your stolen/lost MTN SIM card. You would be asked some security questions to determine that you truly are the owner of the SIM you want to block. So, information like your date of birth, the numbers you call the most, your last recharge, and the PUK number of your SIM card are some things you need to have in hand when you call 180.
After the customer agent has determined that you are the original owner of the SIM card, he (or she) would go ahead and block your MTN SIM card.
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How to Block MTN SIM Card by Visiting an MTN Office Near You
You can also visit any MTN office near you to block your MTN SIM card. Before you go, you may need to first file a police report with the Nigerian Police Force which you would use to get an affidavit from any competent court of law in the country. At the MTN office, tell whoever attends to you that you want to block your MTN SIM card.
You would be asked certain questions to ascertain if truly you are the owner of the SIM card you want to be blocked. The affidavit, a valid means of identification, and details of your last recharge are some of what could be used to identify that you are the original owner of the MTN SIM card. With this, your MTN SIM card would be blocked.
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How to Retrieve Your MTN SIM
After blocking your MTN SIM card, you can retrieve it at a later date and continue making use of it again. To retrieve your MTN SIM card, take the following along with you to the nearest MTN office:
- Your MTN phone number
- An affidavit
- Your SIM pack
- Three numbers that you frequently call
- Details of your last recharge
- A valid means of identification
- SIM registration information
With these details, your SIM card would be retrieved. This means, your previously blocked SIM card would become active once more.
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How to Prevent Your MTN SIM Card from Unauthorised Access
To be proactive, you need to protect your MTN SIM card from unauthorised access so even when you lose your phone, no one would be able to make use of the SIM card.
Steps to protect your MTN SIM Card for Android:
- On your Android device homepage, go to “Settings”
- Scroll to “Select Security”
- Click on “Set Up SIM Card Lock”
- Input the MTN default SIM card pin of 0000
- Click on “Change SIM Card PIN” to change the default pin to a 4-digit pin of your choice
- Confirm your new 4-digit pin
- Switch off your phone and put it on again to check if the SIM pin is activated
Steps to protect your MTN SIM Card for iOS devices:
- On your iOS device homepage, navigate to the “Setting” icon and click on it
- Go to “Mobile Data” or “Cellular”
- Click on “SIM PIN”
- Click on “Activate SIM PIN”
- Input the default MTN card pin of 0000
- Then, change the default SIM pin to a 4-digit pin of your choice
- Confirm your 4-digit pin
- Switch off and put on your iOS device to check if the SIM pin is activated
After you’ve completed this process, you will be expected to input your chosen 4-digit SIM pin whenever you turn on your phone or when you take out your SIM card and put it back on.