Safaricom combats M-Pesa fraud with photo IDs
Safaricom is attempting to overcome some recent fraud issues with its popular mobile money service, M-Pesa, the old-fashioned way: checking photo IDs.
Safaricom has told local news publications that it recently distributed some 25,000 pre-programmed smartphones to mobile money agents to use as a verification tool for M-Pesa users.
"Using an application on the phone, the agent keys in the customer's registration details then takes a photo of the documents and the person registering," Stephen Chege, Safaricom’s corporate affairs director, told the Business Daily.
The Business Daily reports fraudsters have used different methods to commit fraud, such as using stolen or forged national identity cards to register for multiple M-Pesa accounts and steal funds from other accounts.