Why Safaricom Adds Extra Steps to Keep Your M-PESA Account Secure

Asking for your phone number has become routine. So has scanning a QR code, logging into an app or confirming your identity with a fingerprint. Convenience has made these moments almost invisible, yet each one involves sharing personal data that can become valuable in the wrong hands.

Protecting your account is no longer just about keeping your PIN secret. Fraudsters now use fake customer care accounts, social engineering, SIM swap attempts and deceptive payment requests to target unsuspecting customers. In response, Safaricom has added several layers of protection, from stronger authentication to privacy features and secure dispute resolution, while encouraging customers to adopt simple habits that reduce risk.

Mobile money has made financial services more accessible than ever, but it has also become a target for criminals looking to exploit stolen credentials or trick customers into authorising fraudulent transactions.

Many successful scams don’t involve sophisticated hacking. Instead, they rely on convincing someone to reveal confidential information or approve a payment without verifying who is requesting it.

That’s why protecting an account is a shared responsibility. Security features built into M-PESA can help reduce risk, but customers also play an important role by staying alert and following safe digital practices.

Your M-PESA PIN remains the final approval before money leaves your account. Once a transaction has been authorised using your PIN, recovering funds can become much more difficult.

Safaricom advises customers to verify every payment request before entering their PIN and to remember that no employee, customer care agent or business representative should ever ask for it.

Simple habits can make a meaningful difference, such as never using your date of birth as your M-PESA PIN, avoiding writing your PIN on paper or storing it inside your phone cover, and never sharing your PIN over the phone, through SMS, or on social media. It is also essential to take a moment to confirm the recipient and payment details before approving any transaction.

Fraudsters often create a sense of urgency to pressure customers into acting quickly. Taking a few extra seconds to verify information can prevent costly mistakes.

Some customers wonder why they are asked to authenticate themselves more than once when using financial services through My OneApp or integrated platforms.

Those additional verification steps are designed to confirm that the legitimate account holder is completing the transaction, even if someone else has temporary access to the device.

Certain financial services require customers to re-authenticate before completing transactions. This additional verification acts as another checkpoint before sensitive activities are approved, helping reduce the risk of unauthorised access.

Rather than adding unnecessary complexity, these checks are intended to strengthen account protection when money or financial information is involved.

Safaricom has also introduced safeguards that activate when a SIM card is removed and reinserted.

If this happens, My OneApp requires customers to complete the authentication process again before access is restored. This helps protect accounts if a device is lost, stolen or becomes the target of SIM-related fraud.

If you’ve requested an M-PESA statement recently, you’ve probably noticed that it arrives as a password-protected PDF, with the password sent separately by SMS. While this may seem like an extra step, it’s designed to keep sensitive financial information out of the wrong hands.

An M-PESA statement contains a detailed history of your transactions, including money transfers, merchant payments, bill payments and account activity. If someone gained access to that document, they could learn a great deal about your financial life.

By separating the statement from its password, Safaricom adds another layer of protection. Even if someone accesses your email account or opens the PDF on a shared device, they cannot view its contents without the password sent to your registered mobile number.

Each statement is generated with a unique password, meaning passwords cannot be reused to unlock future statements. If you request another statement, you’ll receive a new PDF and a new password.

Just as importantly, never share your statement password, one-time passwords or your M-PESA PIN with anyone claiming to offer customer support.

Even with strong security measures, mistakes and unexpected situations can happen. Knowing the correct process can help you resolve issues more quickly while reducing the risk of further loss.

PayBill transactions work differently from person-to-person M-PESA transfers.

Once money has been credited to a business or organisation’s PayBill account, any refund or reversal is handled by the receiving organisation rather than Safaricom.

If you accidentally send money to the wrong PayBill, contact the receiving organisation as soon as possible, keeping your M-PESA confirmation message and transaction code handy. You should also have the PayBill number, account reference, transaction amount, and payment date ready, and follow up promptly, as reversal requests are generally expected within 30 days of the transaction.

Taking a few moments to verify both the PayBill number and account reference before confirming payment remains the simplest way to avoid this situation.

GlobalPay enables customers to make payments to international merchants using a virtual Visa card linked to their M-PESA wallet.

If you notice a transaction you don’t recognise, Safaricom advises contacting the merchant first to request a refund. If the issue remains unresolved, you can submit a reversal dispute through the GlobalPay section within My OneApp for further review.

It’s also good practice to review recurring subscriptions from time to time. Cancelling or deactivating a payment card does not always end subscriptions already authorised with third-party merchants, so checking your active services can help prevent unexpected deductions.

Technology provides strong security, but everyday decisions still make a difference.

A few simple habits can help protect your account, such as using a PIN that is difficult to guess and avoiding birthdays or other obvious numbers, never leaving your national ID behind your phone cover, and dialing *100*100# to strengthen protection against SIM swap fraud while only replacing your SIM at an authorised Safaricom Shop.

Additionally, you should keep your phone’s operating system and apps updated, never share your PIN, one-time passwords, or verification codes with anyone, and confirm payment details before entering your PIN. Finally, be cautious of messages or calls that create urgency or ask you to bypass normal security procedures, and contact Safaricom only through official customer care channels when seeking assistance.

Many scams succeed because criminals persuade customers to reveal information voluntarily. A healthy level of caution remains one of the most effective security tools.

Keeping an M-PESA account secure is not about relying on a single feature. It comes from several protections working together, including stronger authentication, SIM verification, password-protected statements and informed customer behaviour.

Safaricom continues to introduce safeguards that help protect customer accounts while making it easier to identify suspicious activity and resolve problems through official channels. At the same time, customers play an equally important role by protecting their credentials, verifying transactions before approving them and remaining cautious when responding to unexpected requests.

Every payment, login and verification prompt is an opportunity to pause for a moment and confirm that everything looks right. Those small decisions help protect your money, your personal information and the confidence that millions of Kenyans place in digital financial services every day.

Download the free Kaspersky SMB Cybersecurity Guide here to learn how businesses can move beyond traditional antivirus and build a more resilient approach to cybersecurity.