OPay is a one-stop mobile-based platform for payments, transfers, loans, savings and other essential services for every user of the application. Currently, the platform is said to have over 35million registered app users and 500,000 agents in Nigeria who rely on its services to send and receive money, pay bills and many other services.
OPay launched its mobile payment service in August 2018, creating an infrastructure on which the company is now also adding new services. The agent-centric mobile payment operation focuses on reaching the massive unbanked population of Nigeria.
OPay, owned by Chinese billionaire Yahui Zhou through his web browser company Opera, has become the main alternative to banks for money transfer and bill payments during the cash crunch, say industry observers.
However, the increase in cases of hacking into the accounts of users of this platform has becoming a major threat to the apps in the recent times.
One of the cases revealed how a suspected fraudster wiped N370,000 from the account of OPay user. In his conventional statement, he said, he went to victim’s shop and beg her for one minute call on her phone. Without suspecting any foul play, she gave her phone to the suspect. The suspect used the opportunity to act like he was dialing a number, whereas he was dialing a code that will forward all calls and messages from the victim’s phone to his private phone number.
Anytime the victim receives calls, they receive it together, same as messages. Through this code, he was able to have access to every conversation and message that the victim is receiving every day on her phone. Through this he was able to initiate a password reset on victim’s OPay account. He changed the password and did the havoc on her.
In order to avoid being hacked unknowingly by the people you thought are your friends, you can do this simple security check on your Android or iPhone to know if your mobile phone has been compromised.
- Go to your phone settings
- Click on the search bar
- Type, call forwarding
- Open it and check
Or go to your Call app.
- Click on the menu, then click on settings.
- After that, you will see calling account
- Then select one of your SIM and click on additional settings
- You will now see call forwarding
Or you can Use USSD CODE
Dial ##002# and all call forwarding will be cancelled
If your number has been forwarded, it shows that your phone has been compromised and the person behind is waiting for the right time to hit you hard.