“Be Alert Fraudsters Are Using Phone Numbers”: Lady Breaks Silence as Opay and Palmpay Take Action
- A Nigerian lady revealed that she discovered that her phone number had been used to open accounts without her knowledge
- She stated that her phone number had been used to open a Wema and Opay account, and money had been transferred to them
- A fintech expert who talked to Legit.ng explained that fraudsters were using innocent Nigerians’ phone numbers to open accounts
A Nigerian woman shared her shocking experience of finding out that her phone number had been used by fraudsters to open accounts with different financial institutions without her consent.
In her Twitter post, @Ladykhair1 narrated how she received a series of messages from Wema Bank and Opay, informing her of transactions that she did not initiate or authorize.
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She realized that her phone number had been used to open a Wema Bank account and an Opay account, and her money had been transferred from her original bank account to these fraudulent accounts.
She wondered how the fraudsters were able to bypass the security measures and verification processes of the banks and Opay.
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She said:
"I didn't open Wema account but they're constantly sending me messages, they even wished me happy birthday. Same thing with Opay, I used my bank app to check my number and I found out I have an account. It's somehow, I feel uncomfortable."
Her tweet:
To shed more light on this alarming issue, Legit.ng spoke to a fintech expert who explained how fraudsters were using innocent Nigerians’ phone numbers to open accounts and siphon money from them.
AbdulFatai Khan who worked as a Key Account Manager in one of the popular fintech companies in Nigeria said that fraudsters were exploiting a loophole:
“Before now, fraudsters can hack into your social media account and use your name to open an account without your consent and use it to solicit funds from your friends or enter into fictitious business with your friends.”
He went further to recommend what needs to be done:
“In summary, it's essential for every wallet account to be linked to a BVN or another bank account of a user. This will phase away fictitious accounts and reduce fraud.”
He advised Nigerians to be vigilant and protect their phone numbers, BVN, and other sensitive data from scammers.
Palmpay and Opay have released new guidelines indicating that they would take action against such future occurrences.
Nigerian lady shed tears in video as she breaks Piggy Bank to find a huge amount missing
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that a Nigerian lady wept uncontrollably as she broke her piggy bank to find out that a huge amount of money was unexplainably missing.
Her brother who narrated the incident and also shared a video of his sister weeping said she had expected about N40k but found N7k.
The elder brother added that he and his second sister also recorded similar losses of money.
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Source: Legit.ng
