Protect Your PIN: MTN Warns Customers Against MoMo Fraud Tricks
MTN Ghana has issued a strong warning to its Mobile Money (MoMo) customers to remain vigilant and protect their personal identification numbers (PINs), stressing that fraud on the platform only occurs when users voluntarily disclose sensitive details to criminals. The company says its MoMo system remains secure, and the real threat lies in customer negligence.
Speaking at MTN’s Media Forum held at the Lancaster Hotel in Kumasi, the General Manager for MTN’s Northern Business District, Nii Adotey Mingle, made it clear that fraudsters succeed only when customers give away their confidential information. “Nobody can defraud you without releasing your PIN number or code,” he emphasized, urging subscribers to treat their MoMo PINs with the same level of confidentiality as their bank PINs.
Mr. Mingle further reminded customers that MTN will never call them to request MoMo PINs or One-Time Passwords (OTPs). Any such request, he cautioned, should be treated as fraudulent. He advised customers to hang up immediately and report suspicious callers to MTN or the police.
The forum also addressed concerns about SIM card pricing. MTN officials clarified that the official cost of an MTN SIM card is GHC10 and warned customers not to pay more than this approved price. Mr. Mingle encouraged the public to resist illegal charges by vendors, urging, “Do not aid them to do the wrong thing only to come to report. Don’t pay. Challenge the person and take steps to report them to the police.”
MTN has consistently maintained that MoMo fraud is not caused by system weaknesses but rather by deceptive tactics used by fraudsters to convince customers into revealing sensitive information. Investigations into past incidents have confirmed that most fraud cases stem from users voluntarily giving out their PINs, believing they were dealing with legitimate MTN representatives.
While the mandatory Ghana Card SIM registration exercise and continuous customer education have helped reduce fraudulent activity, MoMo fraud still persists. MTN assured customers that it will continue to collaborate with regulators, law enforcement agencies, and the media to clamp down on fraudsters. However, the company stressed that ultimate responsibility lies with customers to guard their digital wallets against manipulation.
MTN Ghana reiterated that MoMo remains a safe, convenient and reliable platform for financial transactions, provided customers remain vigilant. The company is therefore intensifying public sensitization campaigns to remind users that their security begins with protecting their PINs.
