5 Ways To Protect Yourself from Mobile Phone Fraud

Our mobile phones have become such a huge part of our lives, especially as with the innovation around smartphones, the things you can do with them have expanded. Mobile phones aren’t just for calling and texting, but because of access to the internet, allow us to access information and perform work related tasks on the go.

Even more amazing, is the fact that we can do the majority of our banking and financial transactions on our phones. With M-PESA, and the partnership between M-PESA and financial institutions, transacting on the go has never been easier.

This convenience has come with its own set of challenges however, as fraudsters have found a new money making target. Fraudsters are getting savvier and this is especially true when it comes to being conned through your mobile number.

Contrary to popular belief, the easiest way to lose money through fraud is not through hacking, but by having your trust manipulated. This is why it’s important to know what to do to minimize your chances of being defrauded.

Here are 5 Ways To Protect Yourself from Mobile Phone Fraud:

Use Official Communication Channels

Your personal information is sensitive, and so it’s important to know who to share it with. You may need to share information like your mobile phone number and ID number to get assistance on an issue from Safaricom. Make sure that you share this information strictly through their official communication channels to avoid fraud.

Safaricom will call you from only one number – 0722000000. Any other number is not an official number. Across social media, the official @SafaricomPLC handles and pages are verified. Do not share your information with any other accounts or pages.

Use DM and Inbox

Getting assistance via social media is so convenient. However, this means that a lot of our information can be easily used against us. To avoid this, do not share your private details such as phone number or ID number on the timeline or feed or in the comment section whether on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. If you must share a query with your details on social media, do it in the DM or Inbox.

Report

Reporting suspicious numbers and activity not only helps you, but helps other would-be victims. Safaricom has introduced a dedicated number to report fraud – 333. If you receive any suspicious calls or messages especially from people purporting to be Safaricom representatives, report them immediately.

Do Not Share Your PIN

This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people share their PINs. As a rule, never share your PIN with anyone. In fact, no one can officially ask for it – not a Safaricom employee, an M-PESA agent or a bank employee. PINs are meant to be strictly confidential to you and you alone. If anyone calls you and claims they need to change something on your account or number and request your details like ID and PIN, immediately hang up and report them.

Educate Your Family and Friends

Your parents and older relatives may not be as savvy as you are and are therefore more prone to this kind of fraud. There are so many cases of people losing their savings and hard earned money because they shared their information over the phone.

Educate them to not share any personal information, especially their PIN, even if the person calling knows their full names, as this information is not that difficult to get and is a ploy to put a target at ease. They shouldn’t share their PIN in person either.

They should also avoid picking and/or returning calls to unknown international numbers.