CYTA mistakenly charged customers €15 to complete the mandatory identification of prepaid mobile phone cards, even though the procedure must be provided free of charge.
The charge remained in place for approximately five days before being withdrawn, according to a company representative, who attributed the incident to human error.
How customers will be refunded
“Due to an oversight, this charge was applied for several days, but it has already been stopped,” the representative said.
Customers who paid the fee will receive the full amount back as credit to their mobile phone number. The refund process began after the error was identified.
CYTA could not provide an exact number of affected customers, although its representative estimated that the figure was limited.
Complaint led to discovery
The issue came to the company’s attention after a customer contacted the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection.
CYTA subsequently identified the incorrect charge, stopped applying it and began arranging refunds for those affected.
Identification must be free
The Office of the Commissioner for Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation clarified in an announcement on 17 July 2025 that the identification of prepaid mobile phone cards is mandatory and must be completed free of charge.
The requirement was introduced under Law 63(I)/2024 and applies to all holders or users of prepaid SIM and eSIM cards.
