Notice of Data Breach Involving a Third-Party Vendor

Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) wishes to inform its customers of a data breach involving one of its third-party vendors, identified on 28 May 2026, which resulted in the exposure of certain customer personal information.

  1. What Happened?

The incident involved unauthorised access to information held by one of BTC’s third-party vendors. The information affected includes certain customer identity and contact details.

  1. What Information Was Affected?

The information involved includes:

  • Customer identity details.
  • Customer contact information.

The following information was not affected:

  • Login credentials.
  • Financial information.
  • Special category personal data.
  1. What Has BTC Done?

Upon becoming aware of the incident, BTC activated its incident response procedures and implemented appropriate measures to contain the breach and mitigate potential risks.

The incident was also reported to the Botswana Data Protection Commission in accordance with applicable data protection requirements. Additional security measures have since been implemented.

  1. What Should Customers Look Out For?

Although there is currently no evidence that the affected information has been misused, customers are encouraged to remain vigilant.

The exposure of identity and contact information may increase the risk of fraudulent communications, including:

  • Suspicious phone calls from individuals impersonating BTC representatives.
  • Fraudulent SMS messages or emails requesting personal information.
  • Phishing attempts containing suspicious links or attachments.
  • Communications requesting passwords, PINs or One-Time Passwords (OTPs).
  1. How Can You Protect Yourself?

We encourage all customers to take the following precautions:

  • Never share your password, PIN or OTP with anyone.
  • Be cautious of unexpected calls, emails or SMS messages requesting personal information.
  • Do not click on suspicious links or open unexpected attachments.
  • Verify any communication claiming to be from BTC through official BTC customer service channels.
  • Report suspicious communications or suspected fraudulent activity to BTC.
  1. Need More Information?

If you have concerns or require further clarification regarding this incident, please contact BTC through our official customer service channels.

BTC sincerely regrets any concern or inconvenience this incident may cause.

Protecting our customers’ personal information and maintaining their trust remain a priority for BTC.

Botswana Telecommunications Corporation

 

FAQs-Personal Data Breach

MOBILE FRAUD

These are phone scams that occurs when a vulnerable person is tricked into a financial transaction

Security Tips

To protect yourself, your business, and your organization against such an attack. Follow the tips below:

  1. Never give out crucial information over the phone.
  2. Never give your banking details over the phone
  3. Hang up the phone ig you have doubts
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VISHING

Also Known as Voice Phishing, Vishing is a fraudulent phone calls designed to obtain sensitive information such as your cellphone banking pin. The attacker often pretends to be BTC agent or Representative.

Security Tips

To protect yourself, business and organization against such an attack. Follow the below tips:

  1. Never give out crucial information such as password or Smega card number over the phone.
  2. Hang up the call and call 1333 to confirm the authenticity of the call or visit any nearest BTC Shop.
  3. BTC Representative will never pressure customers into any emergency transection.
  4. Never make payments based on unsolicited calls.
  5. Never provide One Time Pin (OTP) over the phone.
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PHISHING

This is a form of fraud where criminals attempt to access your confidential information. This is done either by an email request for information or by leading you to a fake website.

Security Tips

To protect yourself, business and organization against such an attack. Follow the below tips:

  1. Check that the web address has a padlock and that it displays BTC address.
  2. Watch out for emails with Improper grammar or spelling.
  3. Be wary of emails that urge you to take immediate action.
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EMAIL SECURITY

Email security is the practice of protecting email accounts and communication from unauthorized access loss, or compromise. Cybercriminals targets emails as it an easy entry point to access accounts and devices – and it relies on human error. All it takes is one misguided click to a link to compromise the whole organization.

Security Tips

To protect yourself, business and organization against such an attack. Follow the below tips:

  1. Create Complex passwords that is at least 8 characters long.
  2. Use two-factor Authentication.
  3. Keep an eye out for suspicious email.
  4. Hoover the curser over the link to verify it’s authenticity.

PASSWORD POLICY

Creating a strong and secure password can reduce the risk of cybercriminals guessing your password and accessing sensitive data.

Security Tips

To protect yourself, business and organization against such an attack. Follow the below tips:

  1. Use different passwords on your accounts.
  2. Never reuse password.
  3. Change password as often as possible.
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SOCIAL ENGINEERING

Social engineering targets human vulnerability. It is all about psychology of persuasion. It takes the mind like con man or grifter. The aim of a social engineering attack is to lower the victims guard and gain their trust thus making them feel safe to disclose personal information or clicking links or dialing USSD codes that might be of malicious intent.

Security Tips

How to recognize social engineering attempts and what to watch for?

  1. Your “friend” sends you a strange message.
  2. Your emotions are heightened.
  3. The request is urgent.
  4. The offer feels too good to be true.
  5. You are receiving awards for competitions you didn’t enter.
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ONLINE PAYMENTS

Online Payments: Safety should be your number one priority when it comes to online payments. With the recent rise of online scams and cyber attacks, keeping your account credentials safe and private is a must.

Security Tips

Here are tips for safe online payments

  1. Use password to protect your phone, computer and tablets.
  2. Create a strong, unique password.
  3. Change your password every 3 months.
  4. Never use unsecured public WIFI.
  5. Remember to logout after making any payments or transactions.
  6. Never access your accounts from a shared device.
  7. Never provide your Smega wallet account via email or via a call.
  8. Do regular checks on your account for unauthorized charges or withdrawals.
  9. Never save your login credentials.
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INTERNET SECURITY

The internet makes life convenient. However, with the vast growing technology, cyber criminals are also creating sophisticated and new ways to manipulate users into granting them access and disclosing personal information.

Security Tips

Tips to browse safely

  1. Keep your browser up to date.
  2. Never store passwords on the browser.
  3. Always clear your cache and browsing history. Online activity monitoring is inevitable, clearing cache and browser history minimizes the amount of information they monitor and track.
  4. Always download software and applications in reliable source site. Data breaches, identity theft and viruses are only a few of the unfortunate consequences of downloading from unreliable sources.
  5. HTTP is a computer protocol that isn’t encrypted. HTTPS is secure when browsing the internet, it is important to ensure the website you are visiting starts with ”HTTPS”. The “S” stands for “secure” for example https://btc.bw
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