Busy sellers are a favourite target for fraudsters, because they receive many payments and want to serve customers quickly. A single scam can wipe out a week's profit. The good news is that most scams follow a few patterns, and simple habits stop nearly all of them. Being careful with money is also something employers value in anyone who handles sales or payments.
The golden rule
The Bank of Ghana has warned the public to protect mobile money PINs, passwords and one time codes, and it states that no legitimate bank, mobile money operator or payment provider will ask for them by phone, text, email or social media. So:
- Never share your PIN or any code sent to your phone, with anyone, for any reason. Not a "customer", not someone claiming to be from your provider, not even a friend.
Common tricks
Fake payment message. You receive a text that looks like a payment alert, but it comes from an ordinary phone number, not your provider. The scammer then asks you to send the goods. Defence: always check your balance or the official confirmation in your own wallet.
"I sent it by mistake, please send it back." Someone claims to have sent money to you by error and begs you to return it. Often no money arrived, or the payment will be reversed later. Defence: check your balance yourself. Do not send money back on your own; ask the person to contact their provider's official customer service, which can handle genuine mistakes.
A customer sends a screenshot of a "successful" payment. Screenshots are easy to edit. Defence: only trust your own wallet.