Safaricom to Mask M-Pesa Users' Phone Numbers to Combat Fraud

Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) approves Safaricom's request to hide phone numbers in M-Pesa transactions, addressing fraud threats like SIM swap scams. Starting Friday, peer-to-peer transfers will partially mask numbers, requiring sender consent to reveal full details. Merchants will also be unable to see payer's full name or number during Till/Paybill payments. This follows 2025 arrests of cybercrime suspects using harvested numbers for ID spoofing and SIM swap fraud, which drains accounts within minutes. CBK cites rising fraud risks and Kenya's mobile-first economy where numbers double as bank usernames. The move aligns with tighter data protection rules from the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), which handled 5,000+ complaints in 2024.

SOURCE: https://techcabal.com/2026/03/02/m-pesa-simple-fix-stop-scams/