Vodafone Fiji has implemented a new M-PAiSA account security measure to protect users from unauthorised access to their accounts.
Its regional chief marketing officer Rajnesh Prasad sad the upgrade would provide an added layer of security to the registered M-PAiSA account holder by ensuring only their verified mobile device and number linked to the M-PAiSA App can access their M-PAiSA account.
“This is an essential security upgrade to protect M-PAiSA users’ funds and prevent fraudulent access to their accounts,” said Mr Prasad.
“Once the new security update is installed, only the initial login into the M-PAiSA App requires the user to have their registered Vodafone or Inkk SIM present on their phone.
“Because the Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements from RBF for financial services are fulfilled through the customer registration details linked to their SIM card and helps authenticate a genuine user of the MPAiSA account,” said Mr Prasad.
He said the change was a necessary security upgrade after recent reports of increased incidences of M-PAiSA customers being targeted by scammers. Customers have been provided with a step-by-step guide through SMS and social media on how to upgrade to the new security feature on their M-PAiSA App.
Mr Prasad said the new security upgrade had been rolled out to 10 per cent of Vodafone’s customer base currently with a 99.9 per cent upgrade success rate.
This new security update will be further rolled out to the whole customer base in due course.
Mr Prasad further clarified that data balance was not required for the initial login process because the M-PAiSA App had been zero-rated for data charges from day one.
This means the app is available for free to Vodafone and Inkk users.
Data on the SIM card attached to the mobile needs to be turned on for the initial login after the upgrade so that the M-PAiSA App can access the device and SIM card account details for authentication.
Once the M-PAiSA account registered with the SIM is authenticated on the mobile device, the user can use data from any service provider including Wifi to access the M-PAiSA App.
However, for receiving OTP sent via SMS, the M-PAiSA SIM must be present on the device.
