How to Secure Your Mobile Phone to Avoid Fraud During this Festive Season

Mobile phone safety is paramount in this festive season as phones have become invaluable tools not only for communication but finance.

A typical Kenyan has various banking and loan apps on their smartphone and the device safety is key to make sure nothing is lost or no valuable information is passed on or shared by third-parties.

Keep your mobile phone safe because of apps such as M-PESA, Airtel Money, Loop, banking apps among others. Reward points such as Bonga points, supermarket and gym membership loyalty programs among others are key information than need protection. Below are tips on how to protect your phone to avoid your information landing in the wrong hands

MPESA

• Never disclose your phone PIN or MPESA PIN to a third party including spouses and girlfriends or boyfriends.
• Make sure your PIN is not easy to guess. Avoid using PINS such as year of birth
• Do not provide your call records to a third party
• Ensure you only respond to customer care calls through official designated phone numbers

MOBILE BANKING APPS

• Never disclose your phone PIN or mobile banking application PIN to a third party
• Do not provide your call records to a third party
• Ensure you only respond to customer care calls through official designated phone numbers
• Contact your financial institution as soon as you suspect your details or phone has been compromised

SOCIAL MEDIA APPS

When interacting on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yammer and Google+ etc.) – updating profiles, uploading photos, sharing media etc.:

• Ensure that personal information you want to keep private is NOT made available to the public
• Ensure that your social media apps require a log on password. Do NOT set then to automatically logon
• Log off your profile when not actively using it
• Change your social medial password regularly
• Refrain from using the same password for all your social media accounts

TIPS TO AVOID FRAUD

Safaricom official Number

• Safaricom only calls from 0722000000
• Do not follow or key in instructions from unknown callers or people claiming to be from Safaricom
• A genuine MPESA message is sent from MPESA and not a mobile number
• Watch out for people claiming to be from Safaricom calling or texting from a their personal numbers e.g. 07XXX…. 011XXX or 020XXX . Remember official Safaricom number is 0722000000.

Protect your personal information

• Never divulge your PINs whether MPESA, BANK, SIM to anyone. Safaricom staff will never ask you to share your MPESA PIN, SIM, Passcodes or password.
• Never divulge any other information such as your one-time passcodes to anyone. Examples include ATM withdrawal code, authentication code for Safaricom app or other service. Decline any request to share secret information
• Always protect your personal information such as ID number, date of birth, full names, address etc.

Protect yourself from conmen

• Do not read out any message received on your phone to anyone claiming to be from Safaricom.
• Watch out for fake MPESA reversal requests. Do not refund. Request the person calling to forward the message to 456 or to call Safaricom customer care for assistance. Also remember Customer care will never call you and then send you to the nearest agent for a reversal
• Be wary of messages from unknown senders saying you have won or they can give you cash or help. Don’t send money to such people.
• Be wary of  too good to be true offers or texts. They are mostly from fraudsters and are not genuine. Do  not engage the sender/fraudster. Hang up and report the number.
• Beware of messages from callers who threaten you. Ensure you report threats to the police

Report to 333

• When you receive suspicious and fake messages forward the numbers via SMS to 333. This message is free.
• Notify Safaricom of imposters and suspicious branded links/websites/social media handles. Do not share any personal details with anyone on such platforms.
• Reporting helps to ensure that the conning numbers are investigated and blocked.

Airtel Money

In the country today, many conmen and women are working hard to make money off innocent Kenyans. To report numbers that call you with fake promotions or ask for your personal details, Dial *100# and select “Kaa Chonjo! Report Fraud”.

Here are a few more tips to help you avoid being scammed or conned:

1. Do NOT share your PIN or Password with anyone including an Airtel Staff. Airtel will never call you to share your PIN or password

2. Airtel will only call you from the number 0733-100-000 for promotions. Beware of FAKE promotional calls from other numbers claiming to be from Airtel

3. Airtel Kenya’s official Digital accounts and contacts are as follows:

a. Twitter – https://twitter.com/AIRTEL_KE

b. Facebook – www.facebook.com/AIRTELKE

c. Email – customerservice@ke.airtel.com

d. Call Center – 100 from an Airtel line or 0733100100 from another network

Remember, to report any scam, dial *100#and select “Kaa Chonjo! Report Fraud”!