Safaricom has developed a new feature that will decrease the rate of SIM-swap fraud.
The telco implemented a SIM-swap self-whitelist, which allows customers to replace their SIM cards only by visiting their shops and not their agents.
“This is a service that ensures that a customer’s line/SIM card can only be replaced by visiting a Safaricom Shop or Care desk with your ID, or by calling Safaricom customer care,” Safaricom said.
The users will be required to dial *100*100# to whitelist their phone numbers.
Another strategy to protect oneself from fraudulent practices is to enable two-factor authentication on all available mobile money and mobile banking apps.
In recent weeks, there has been an increase in cases of sim-swap fraud.
The fraudsters have mastered this new way of acquiring money from people after taking control of their sim cards.
The scammers register an existing number to intercept notifications and one-time passwords (OTP).
They also register an existing number to access online banking profiles and transactions of their victim’s phones, which enables them to change the account security settings.
