Sim Swap fraud cases have been on the rise recently with Kenyans losing thousands of shillings to fraudsters.
What is Sim swap fraud?
Fraudsters are now registering an already existing phone number, by doing this they’re able to intercept notifications to the newly registered number. This makes them access important things like bank profiles, one-time passwords, and even transactions.
To protect customers from such frauds, Safaricom has come up with a self whitelisting service where one locks their number and makes sure no one can replace it without their knowledge.
You can access this service by Dialing *100*100#
READ;How to send money to many people at once using M-Pesa App
How to safeguard your phone number against Sim swap fraud;
- On your Dial pad, dial *100*100#
- Press okay and wait for 1-2 seconds
- A message will pop up and you’ll also receive an SMS confirmation
- You can also complete the process online https://safaricom.com/account/kyc-upload
Once you’ve completed, you can only replace your Simcard by visiting a Safaricom shop. You won’t be able to replace your sim card thru an M-Pesa agent.
Conclusion
Fraudsters always find new ways to con people their hard-earned money. However, you can stay one step ahead of them by following these simple steps;
- Don’t share your M-Pesa pin or banking pin with anybody
- Always beware of the official phone numbers from service providers such as Safaricom, DSTV, GOTV, and other service providers
- Be suspicious of anyone asking about your personal details such M-Pesa pin, balance, etc
- Use Apps like Truecaller to help you identify numbers with most Scam reports. This is one way of knowing whether the caller is a legit person or a con.
- Fraudsters mostly pretend to be from companies like Zuku or DSTV, etc, and they always ask for things like your M-Pesa balance.
- Lastly, Safaricom only calls from 0722 000 000.
If you get a call from a suspicious fraudster number, report the number to 333.
You can also get in touch with Safaricom on their social media platforms;
Twitter- @SafaricomPLC or @Safaricom_Care
Facebook- @SafaricomPLC
Instagram- safaricomplc_
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