3 Tips to beat mobile money fraudsters at their game

The MoMo fraud canker has become so widespread that you always wake up expecting to have an encounter with one of the scammers. As the days go by, it’s becoming clear that people have to be smart in order to stay ahead of Mobile Money fraudsters.

In Ghana today, if you ask what’s the most annoying-yet-funny thing that people experience on a daily, you’re sure to hear Mobile Money fraud pop up somewhere among the answers. That is very true.

This instalment of our Mobile Money fraud series would help you with tips that you can use if your plan is to be ahead of Mobile Money fraudsters to avoid falling victim to their scams.

Do this to stay ahead of Mobile Money fraudsters

The best way to defeat a thief is to stay a couple of steps ahead of his schemes. And to avoid falling victim to MoMo fraudsters, the same strategy must be employed. Here are three things you can do in order to outplay the scammers at their own game.

1. Don’t entertain calls about strange promos

One of the commonest tricks the MoMo fraudsters have in their playbook is the fake promo approach. All they need to do is entice their victim by claiming they have won items or money in a promo, and as part of the prize redeeming process, they (victim) would have to pay a fee to unlock their winnings.

Here is your common sense approach: if you’re not participating in any promo, ignore any phone calls and text messages claiming that you have won a prize. And even when you have genuine tickets to a lottery or any promo, keep in mind that the company would not demand that you pay any fee before redeeming what is due to you. Stay alert and you’ll be alright.

2. Authorized MTN staff would invite you to their service centres

It is common knowledge that MTN customer representatives always insist that you show up at their offices to rectify even the tiniest issue related to your account. While this may be irksome and inconvenient to some people, it is actually a good thing.
Your fraud sensors should give you a heads-up whenever you are dealing with a supposed MTN staff who would rather let you enter sensitive codes over the phone, rather than ask you to go to the nearest service centre for assistance. This is especially important when it has anything to do with your Mobile Money account.

Lots of scammers have become adept at social engineering, thus, they can say the right things to get you to believe they are genuine. Don’t fall for their act. Being ahead of Mobile Money fraudsters depends a lot on your awareness of the standard procedures of the companies you have any business with so, once there’s a deviation from the norm, stay away and you’ll be safe.

3. Your MoMo PIN should be a red flag

What I mean by this is that you should ask questions and be cautious whenever you are having a conversation with anyone, and you are asked to do anything that involves inputting your MoMo PIN. In fact, it shouldn’t be limited to conversations only. You should be equally alert whenever you are being asked to activate some network-related codes or processes on your phone and your Mobile Money PIN becomes a part of the processes.

Your MoMo PIN is meant for Mobile Money transactions only, so the moment anyone asks you to key in your code then, know that they have initiated a transaction on your blindside.

Always remember these three things you’ve read here and you’ll always be ahead of Mobile Money fraudsters. Are there any important points that we have missed? Do tell us via email or in the comment section.

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This article on how to stay ahead of Mobile Money fraudsters is part of a series JBKlutse.com is developing to educate the public about Mobile Money fraudsters, their activities, and how to stay vigilant and not be a victim.