E-Business
To make ePayments more acceptable, Nigeria needs to curb fraud
By Victor Irechukwu, Head of Engineering, OnePipe
When a credit alert drops on your phone, chances are you will get excited. Even if it wasn’t a surprise and you were expecting that money. But when it is a debit alert, there’s also a certain type of gloom you feel; you want money to keep coming in but as little as possible of it going out.
Victor Irechukwu, Head of Engineering, OnePipe
It may be safe to say most of us feel that way.
Now, imagine the debit alert was for a transaction you know nothing about. A commonly reported theme has been alerts that your card was used to make deposits on a gambling website, whereas you may never have even indulged in gambling your entire life.
At other times, you are shown a debit alert by someone who wants to purchase goods or services from you, but only later realise they showed you what has now been termed ‘fake alerts’. By this time, your goods, for instance, would have been long gone.
In recent months, social media has been awash with reports of money literally growing wings and leaving some people’s accounts to those of other people without authorisation. Many of these cases have gone viral on social media, causing embarrassment for the banks involved – The issues are either quietly – or corrected with public acknowledgement. But not all are resolved, at least not yet.
As much as the country and even individuals would like to go cashless, these bad experiences leave a sour taste in the mouth, and they have continued to rain on the parade as Nigeria marches towards a cashless economy. It must be stressed that a cashless economy does not mean theft of money will stop, what it does is to change how thieves go about it. But more importantly, it also doesn’t mean thefts must occur, at least not if systems are strengthened and the right protocols are put in place.
In the electronic world, an article on The Balance Money describes hackers as the bank robbers and muggers and in a cashless society we are all exposed to them. According to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS), growth in the use of electronic channels, specifically mobile devices has also enticed fraudsters into focusing their efforts on these electronic channels.
When an attack is successful and the culprits are able to drain funds from your account, you could be effectively left stranded. God forbid you needed that money for a life threatening emergency because that could be the end unless you are one of the lucky few whose funds get recovered in a place like Nigeria – and on time too.
Agusto & Co.’s ‘2022 Consumer digital banking satisfaction index for Nigerian banks’, found that approximately 59 percent of respondents had been fraud victims on the digital platforms of their banks.
The figures in terms of number of attacks, success rate and amounts lost remain a source of concern. By the third quarter of 2022, the total number of frauds & forgeries cases reported by Nigerian banks was 19,314 as against 27,356 incidents reported in the second quarter of 2022.
But there’s more. While the number of attacks represents a 29.40 percent decrease between the periods, the total sum reported to be involved in fraud cases increased by 9.50 percent to N9.62 billion from N8.78 billion in Q2 2022. Also, for the total amount lost due to fraud incidents, there was a significant increase of 207.94 percent from N1.17 billion in the second quarter of 2022 to N3.62 billion in the third quarter of 2022.
In essence, the number of attacks may have decreased within that particular period, but more money was lost to the fraudulent attacks.
These insights were provided in the Q3 2022 report by FITC, an organisation mandated to receive data on fraud from all Nigerian banks and prepare quarterly reports. The figures show that the highest number of occurrences were recorded under computer/web fraud followed by mobile fraud which includes fraud activities through USSD transactions and ATM related fraud.
BusinessDay had even reported that every day between January and March 2022, there was an average of 450 incidents of frauds and forgeries against Nigerian bank customers. In those three months, the attackers targeted N14.65 billion, with Computer/Web Fraud responsible for N10.57 billion (72.18 percent), and Mobile Fraud recording 1.48 billion (10.08 percent).
Those 40,522 attacks had resulted in N1.54 billion lost by bank customers. Computer/Web Fraud accounted for 70.51 percent (N1.07 billion), followed by Mobile Fraud accounting for 17.58 percent (N270.92 million) at the time.
Going back a bit, data by NIBSS also showed that fraud attempts via mobile channel saw a 330 percent increase year-on-year (YoY) between 2019 and 2020, while attempts via web and POS channels saw a 173 percent and 215 percent increase YoY. In those nine months, 96 percent of the attacks were successful and there were 46,126 of such attacks.
“This trend is expected to continue as Nigeria further grows financial inclusion and customers become increasingly dependent on electronic channels for their day-to-day transactions,” said NIBSS. In other words; things are expected to get a lot worse, according to the organisation described as Nigeria’s central switch for the financial industry.
Fraud is and has always been a large threat to commerce and e-payment transactions. It is impossible to totally eliminate the chance of fraud, but applying timely measures and ensuring the use of secure payment infrastructure can help reduce or even eliminate these risks. Security should continue to be top priority for every party involved in ePayment transactions. Fraud prevention involves taking measures to stop fraud from occurring and taking steps to detect frauds quickly (when they occur) and stop them as soon as possible. Different techniques for preventing and detecting frauds are required as there are different types of fraud in e-payment transactions.
Awareness of these risks by merchants, consumers and individuals plays an important role in reducing fraud in e-payment transactions. Merchant awareness and education is important – they should be aware of the types of frauds, implications and application of best practices. Consumer awareness and education is also important in order to reduce identity theft or payment data theft. This would help the individual in adopting an active and cautious attitude when carrying out electronic transactions. It could teach them to be aware of possible risks, avoid e-scams, and minimise giving vital information to merchants (or other parties) when carrying out electronic payments.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has secured the support of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), in line with its objective of safeguarding the data privacy rights of Nigerians.
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and CEO, NDPC Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi (Rtd) of NJI
This was contained in a press statement signed by Mr Itunu Dosekun, head of Media, NDPC, and made available to journalists in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
NJI is a government institution responsible for the training of judicial officers in Nigeria, from magistrate courts to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
During a courtesy visit by the Commission to NJI, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and CEO, NDPC, lauded the management of NJI under the leadership of Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi (Rtd) for the milestones the Institute has achieved in human capital development, particularly for judicial officers and fellows of the Institute.
While commenting on the importance of the Nigeria Data Protection Act in the face of disruptive technologies, Dr Olatunji reiterated the need to collaborate with NJI in keeping judicial officers abreast of privacy jurisprudence.
He noted that decisions on the enjoyment of data privacy rights concerning one citizen have fundamental implications for all citizens.
“It is the digital age, and the protection of the privacy of all citizens worldwide is paramount.
“It is now the right of all citizens to have their privacy protected. This is why countries across the globe are putting adequate measures in place to ensure enforceable data protection rights, as well as establishing data protection authorities to enforce data protection laws,” Dr Olatunji stated.
In his response, Justice Abdullahi commended the NDPC, under Dr Olatunji’s leadership, for its significant achievements since its establishment.
He pledged to collaborate with the NDPC to raise awareness of data protection and privacy within the judiciary and accepted the NDPC’s proposal, anchored on capacity building for judges, NJI fellows, and employees.
“The issue of data protection is very important. It is new, and judges need to be trained. The first step we should take is to review the Act (NDP Act) that established the Commission. Additionally, there is a need for us to train our fellows on data protection.”
NJI and NDPC have put in place a technical working group that will draw up a work plan and coordinate the initiatives for capacity building. The working group is expected to report back within days to commence implementation.
Flutterwave, Africa’s payments technology company, said it has formed a strategic partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), to drive digital transformation and ultimately economic growth across Nigeria.
Olugbenga Agboola, founder and CEO of Flutterwave and Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general & CEO of NITDA
The collaboration aims to address the slow adoption of digital solutions among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a critical challenge that, when solved, can significantly boost the nation’s digital economy.
By promoting digital literacy, encouraging fintech innovation, and supporting key national initiatives such as the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), the partnership has a goal to accelerate Nigeria’s transition into a thriving digital ecosystem.
Despite the rapid evolution of digital payment systems, many SMEs in Nigeria still rely on traditional business models that limit their growth potential.
The inability to adopt digital payments, leverage e-commerce, and access secure financial solutions creates barriers to scaling and participating in the global economy.
Recognising this challenge, Flutterwave and NITDA were collaborating to bridge the digital divide and equip businesses with the right tools and expertise to embrace digital transformation.
Speaking on the partnership, Olugbenga Agboola, founder and CEO of Flutterwave, said, “many small businesses in Nigeria struggle to fully embrace digital solutions, and we believe that by providing seamless and secure payment technologies, we can empower them to scale with confidence.
“This partnership with NITDA reinforces our dedication to encouraging a truly inclusive digital economy, and we are proud to contribute to the outstanding work NITDA is doing to transform Nigeria’s digital landscape.”
Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general & CEO of NITDA, added, “Flutterwave’s reputation for fintech innovation aligns perfectly with our vision for a thriving digital economy. We recognize that slow digital adoption among SMEs has hindered economic growth, and through this collaboration, we aim to provide businesses with the necessary resources and infrastructure to transition into the digital age.”
The partnership represents a significant step toward Nigeria’s digital transformation, with Flutterwave and NITDA working hand in hand to create an environment where businesses can thrive through innovative financial solutions.
Flutterwave is a payments technology company that enables businesses across the world to expand their operations in Africa and other emerging markets through a platform that enables local and cross-border transactions via one Application Programming Interface (API).
Flutterwave has processed over 890 million transactions in excess of $34 billion, serves global and African customers like Uber, Air Peace, Bamboo, PiggyVest, and across various industries.
Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has stated that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol is set to grow intra-African trade from 18 per cent in 2022 to 50 per cent by 2030.
Commenting at the AfCFTA Digital Trade Workshop and Global Market, with the theme, “Unlocking State Exports Potential,” held in Abuja, Shettima who was represented by the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, highlights Nigeria’s role in digital commerce, citing the country’s 109 million internet users and expanding mobile economy as key enablers.
He emphasised that Nigeria’s advancements in mobile payments have revolutionized cross-border transactions, financial inclusion, and digital commerce, positioning the country as Africa’s digital trade hub.
“The internet economy is expected to contribute 5.2 per cent of Africa’s GDP this year, with the digital economy projected to grow to $180 billion, up from $115 billion in 2020,” he noted.
Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to modernising passport application systems and upgrading port infrastructure to streamline trade, reduce customs processing times, and strengthen the country’s role in handling West Africa’s cargo.
“We must move from policy discussions to implementing digitally enabled trade that fosters economic prosperity,” he urged.
The African Union (AU) recently recognised Nigeria as the Digital Trade Champion for Africa under the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol, a status confirmed during the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, represented by Deputy Governor Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, warns that any nation failing to embrace digital trade risks being left behind. He commends the Tinubu administration for its achievements in the ICT sector.
“Digital trade platforms have broken traditional barriers, allowing businesses of all sizes to access regional and global markets more efficiently,” he says.
Price Hike: DSTV, GOtv Subscribers Threaten Boycott as FCCPC Summons Multichoice
NDPC Secures NJI’s Support for Data Privacy Rights in Nigeria
Mysterious Illness Kills 50 People within Hours of Symptoms, Doctors Raise Alarm
NPC Warns Nigerians to Beware of Fake Recruitment Website
Starlink Becomes Nigeria’s Second-Largest ISP, Overtakes FiberOne
Canal+ to Carve, Spin out MultiChoice’s LicenceCo in Aggressive Takeover Bid
Fidelity Bank Raises ₦232Bn in First Phase of Capital Raising
Schmidt, Ex Google Chief Says AI Risky in Terrorist Hands
Fidelity Bank and NIYEEDEP Join Forces to Empower 6 Million Nigerian Youths
FCCPC Issues Message to Nigerians on How to Report Loan Apps Harassing Customers
General News2 days agoSANEF Appoints Uche Uzoebo as New Chief Executive Officer
E-Financial2 days agoFlutterwave Visits Tinubu, Seeks Support to List on NGX
General News2 days agoAgain, Gambaryan, Binance Executive Accuses 3 Lawmakers, NSA of Demanding $150m Bribe
Telecom2 days agoGlobacom Continues Upgrade of Network Infrastructure Across Nigeria
Telecom2 days agoATCON Warns of Nationwide Telecom Blackout over Diesel Shortage
News2 days agoNITDA Inaugurates Technical Working Group to Drive Nigeria’s Digital Sovereignty
E-Financial2 days agoSERAP Drags CBN to Court over ATM Fee Hike
News2 days agoNigeria to Witness First Lunar Crescent on 28 February – NASRDA