The rise of MoMo fraud is increasing, and it seems previous tactics are becoming well-known, so scammers are using new methods to transfer your money without your knowledge. This happened to me, and I’m going to share my experience to help you avoid falling victim.
There’s a new cheap bundle offer for MTN, Airtel, and Telecel that allows you to pay less for more data. Scammers and fraudsters are now taking advantage of this offer.
Anyone can become an agent by paying and registering, and they often sell these bundles at different prices. To buy the bundle, you need to send money to the agent to activate it for you.
If you know the agent in person, you can deal with them directly. However, if the agent is online, that’s where the problems start. I encountered an agent on TikTok, and after expressing my interest in buying data, he offered me a very cheap price. I knew the bundle itself was inexpensive, but they often add their markup.
He asked me to send the money first so he could activate it for me. After a long conversation trying to confirm he was legitimate, I was convinced and sent the money. He told me it would take just five minutes, but after ten minutes, I received no response.
When I called him, he said he was working on it, but there was still no update. After calling again, he claimed there were network issues and suggested I activate the bundle from my end using a shortcode. He directed me to dial a shortcode that connected me to Nagrat, where they said they needed a staff ID.
When he asked for mine, I explained that I didn’t have one. He then said a six-digit code from MTN 2.0 would be sent to me, and I should add my MoMo PIN to make it 10 digits to activate my data.
At this point, I was skeptical and hesitated. I questioned why he needed my PIN, and he claimed it was necessary for MTN to activate the service since they’ll be debiting me next time I buy the data from my end. His explanations were confusing, but since I thought I wasn’t giving him my code directly, I felt somewhat confident and proceeded.
After entering the code, I received another message saying the staff ID was wrong. When I asked why, he told me I was a new user and needed to be registered with a staff ID. He insisted that since I had already dialed the 10 digit number on Nagrat, it would come through this time if I give him the ID to register me since I’m a new user.
I provided it, and he said he was working on it, asking me to stay on the line. After he hung up, I called back, and he asked if my number was a new SIM. When I confirmed it was, he advised me to use my old SIM for the process, which raised further suspicions.
I decided to hang up and was about to call MTN when I noticed a transfer from my wallet to an unknown number. I was shocked! I immediately called MTN, explained everything, and they confirmed it was a scam. The representative questioned why I shared the MTN 2.0 code, which they explicitly state not to share with anyone, not even MTN employees.
I realized I had overlooked that warning. Where were my eyes at that point? The representative explained that the MTN 2.0 code is for logging into the MyMTN app, meaning the scammer had used the code to log into my account and transferred my money using my PIN which was all in the 10 digit “ID.”
I thanked her and reported the fraud, hoping to recover my money. Please remember: never share your PIN or any codes sent to you. Always read the messages attached to codes, and if you feel any doubt, call 100 for clarification so you don’t fall victim to these scams. I wonder how the Ghana card linking to SIMs is helping if scams continue to happen.
Source: m.dailyadvent.com
