Their fault, right? Not entirely. If the amount they asked you to send is large, you may have to give them time, days or even weeks to repay it, which directly affects your business.
This case, among many others, shows how bafere (fraudsters) continue to target mobile money agents in Uganda. Building on Enoch’s recent article on the hidden struggles mobile money agents face in Uganda, this one digs deeper, exposing the tricks that both fraudsters and even some seemingly loyal customers use to drain agents of their profits and working capital within minutes.
Incoming Scam Calls: How to Block Calls on Mobile Money Agent Lines
Fraudsters often present themselves as family relatives, your boss, or telecom customer representatives. You only realise it’s a scam when they ask you to dial strange codes or make transactions that seem normal—unless you’ve been warned about the scheme by experienced mobile money agents. To reduce the risks tied to such calls, mobile money agents are encouraged to block all incoming calls on their agent lines.
Dial *21*190#OK on MTN line and *21*(phone number you want to divert to)# on Airtel Uganda, since Airtel doesn’t offer full call blocking. Alternatively, on MTN, you can forward incoming calls to your personal number. This minimises exposure to scams through calls made to your agent line.
Rush Hour, Loss Hour!
A business that serves customers quickly will attract more clients, but in the mobile money trade, speed can be risky. This isn’t to discourage efficiency, but many fraud incidents happen when agents or clients rush transactions, or when an agent tries to serve several customers at once.
In this line of work, accuracy matters more than speed. Mobile money agents are advised to confirm every transaction, recount the cash, and double-check the phone number before proceeding. Stay alert to your surroundings and bystanders who might be listening too closely.
These simple precautions can save you from common scams such as fake notes, unconfirmed and incomplete transfers, false amounts, or wrong-number transactions. They also guard your mobile money business against well-known tricks, including the one used by least-expected elderly men who transact using two phones with nearly identical numbers, only to later claim the mistake was yours.
Bystanders with Agent Lines (SimCard)
This trick is common during busy hours, especially when serving multiple customers at once or in the evening when everyone is rushing to get back home. It works because of how mobile money transactions are handled: with Airtel Money, customers initiate the transfer and read out their phone number and secret code from their phone, while MTN Mobile Money requires customers to provide (in a typical Ugandan environment, read aloud) their phone number and amount to the agent to start the transaction. In both cases, bystanders with mobile money agent lines who overhear these readouts can withdraw the money before the intended agent completes the transaction.
When this happens, the fraudster gets the money, and the customer, seeing a confirmation message, will surely insist you cover the loss, asserting you completed the withdrawal transaction. To reduce this risk, agents should confirm their agent line name with MTN customers while asking them to enter their confirmation PIN, and instruct Airtel clients to show the secret code on their screen rather than reading it out loud.
Use Agent Mini-Statement When Uncertain
Many mobile money agents have shared how, on certain days, their end-of-day balances are often lower than what they started with. This is mainly caused by unconfirmed or incomplete transactions, often caused by clients’ insufficient balances, or unfinished transfers—particularly on MTN. These discrepancies can quickly eat into your working capital if not carefully managed.
To avoid such losses, focus on one client at a time. Don’t rush, but make sure every transaction is fully confirmed and the correct amount is received. In case of any uncertainty, check your mini-statement: on Airtel, dial 1857#, select option 6, and enter your PIN; on MTN, dial 1658#, select option 2, then option 1, and enter your PIN.
Fraudsters are constantly devising new tricks, and it’s impossible to cover them all. However, by applying the precautions shared here, you can minimise mistakes, maintain accurate records, and protect your business from the most common mobile money transaction scams. Tip? In the mobile money business, a mini-statement is not just for record-keeping—it is a safety net when you are uncertain.
