Russian mobile phone operators start auditing unidentified clients

Russian mobile phone operators have started reviewing customers using “gray” SIM cards (plans registered without verified identification). VimpelCom, MTS, and Megafon all told the magazine RBC that they’ve begun auditing their subscribers and contacting anyone with missing or suspicious passport records.

According to a federal law passed last year, phone companies have until June 1, 2018, to cut off service to any clients who haven’t verified their identification. Selling SIM cards without recording customers’ passport information has been illegal in Russia since 2014, but this prohibition is often ignored.