The newly activated National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) has revealed an alarming prevalence of clone and fake mobile phones across the country, identifying millions of duplicate and counterfeit IMEI numbers active on mobile networks.
A press release from the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology on Tuesday stated that NEIR has detected numerous irregular IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) sequences, such as “1111111111111”, “0000000000000”, and “9999999999999”, being used nationwide.
This discovery comes after the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) launched the long-awaited NEIR system on 1 January, designed to restrict the use of cloned and counterfeit mobile devices.
The release clarified that these IMEI numbers are not being blocked immediately. They are instead being flagged as “grey” to avoid public disruption, as the interim government has decided against abrupt actions that could cause user inconvenience.
The IMEI is a unique 15-digit identifier assigned to each mobile phone and SIM-enabled device, functioning like a device fingerprint that allows networks and authorities to distinguish the handset from the SIM card inside.
Findings indicate that millions in Bangladesh are using substandard counterfeit handsets that have not passed compulsory safety verifications, including radiation and Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) tests.
These devices are operational on all four mobile operators’ networks and are extensively distributed across the country.
Data from the past decade revealed that one IMEI number, “99999999999999”, has been associated with a staggering 3,91,22,534 connections through various permutations of document ID, MSISDN, and IMEI.
Experts pointed out that such IMEI numbers might not only belong to smartphones but also to Internet of Things (IoT) equipment.
At present, mobile operators cannot differentiate IMEI usage between mobile phones, SIM-enabled gadgets, and IoT devices. Consequently, equipment like CCTV systems may also be running on identical IMEI numbers.
The government has initiated a separate tagging process for legally imported IoT devices to tackle this concern.
An examination of the most common duplicate IMEI numbers shows approximately 19.50 lakh devices active under IMEI “440015202000”. Around 17.50 lakh devices were found using “35227301738634”, while over 15 lakh devices operate under “35275101952326”.
The ministry release added that even the single-digit zero “0” IMEI has been identified on 5,86,331 active devices.
Authorities have prepared a roster of fake and duplicate IMEI numbers each with over 1,00,000 active connections, highlighting the magnitude and severity of the issue.
Further analysis of the top duplicate IMEIs indicates particular devices are predominant. For example, IMEI 440015202000 is active on 19,49,088 devices, IMEI 35227301738634 on 17,58,848 devices, IMEI 35275101952326 on 15,23,571 devices, and the single-digit “0” IMEI on 5,86,331 devices.
Other significant IMEIs include 35464802000025 on 5,39,648 devices, 35868800000015 on 5,32,867 devices, and 86740002031661 on 4,63,017 devices.
The list continues with IMEIs such as 86740002031662 on 4,13,814 devices, 13579024681122 on 2,76,907 devices, 35210801000230 on 2,13,789 devices, 15151515151515 on 2,10,037 devices, and 35975900251493 on 1,94,782 devices.
Additional frequently detected numbers encompass 35868800009385 on 1,90,393 devices, 35505002098451 on 1,68,560 devices, 35945478498188 on 1,58,556 devices, 35464802000000 on 1,50,546 devices, 35391902568013 on 1,47,065 devices, 35973800955340 on 1,27,184 devices, 35325905457468 on 1,26,596 devices, 35968800000015 on 1,24,440 devices, 35827311738634 on 1,14,781 devices, 35448501567207 on 1,14,671 devices, 86301402000005 on 1,06,314 devices, and 35411208064429 on 1,03,281 devices.
Officials stated this trend demonstrates how specific clone or counterfeit models have proliferated widely, underscoring the necessity for sustained surveillance via the NEIR system.
While the existence of clone and fake phones in the local market was previously acknowledged, authorities said the full extent of the issue only became clear after NEIR’s implementation.
A Bangladesh Bank report from 2024 noted that 73 percent of digital fraud cases in Bangladesh are conducted using unregistered devices.
Collaborative data from the BTRC and mobile financial service MFS providers indicated that 85 percent of e-KYC fraud incidents in 2023 involved illegal or reprogrammed handsets.
During the same year, about 1,80,000 mobile phone thefts were formally reported, with several hundred thousand more cases going unrecorded, and most stolen devices were never recovered.
Officials emphasised that selling counterfeit phones to consumers as unofficial new handsets constitutes an extraordinary degree of fraud, asserting that stopping such activities is vital for the public interest.
