How to Protect Your Customers from Payment Scams Using Your Business Name
If your business takes deposits, fees or advance payments, someone has probably already tried to use your name to collect money. A fake WhatsApp account with your logo. A “new Paybill number” sent to a customer who enquired on Facebook. A caller claiming to be from your accounts team. The customer loses the money, and often blames you.
You can’t stop every fraudster, but you can make it much harder for them, and much easier for your customers to check before they pay.
How the scams usually work
- Copied profiles. Fraudsters copy your logo, photos and posts into a new WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram account, then answer people who comment on your real ads.
- A “new” payment number. The customer is told your Paybill has changed, or asked to pay to a personal M-Pesa number “for faster processing”.
- Urgency. “Only two units left at this price, pay the deposit today.” Pressure stops people from checking.
- Fake staff. A caller uses a real staff name from your website or social pages, and asks for a payment or an M-Pesa PIN.
Six steps that protect your customers
- Use one payment route and say it everywhere. Pick your official Paybill or till and your company bank account, and publish them on your website, profile and receipts. Make it a rule that you never take payment to a personal number.
- Tell customers what you will never do. For example: “We will never ask for your M-Pesa PIN, never change our payment number by message, and never ask you to pay to a personal number.” Put it in your welcome message and on every invoice.
- Give them a way to check. A customer who is unsure should be able to confirm a payment number quickly, at any hour. That can be a page on your website, a reply from your assistant, or a staff line, as long as it is fast.
- Verify your accounts. Use a WhatsApp Business account with your business name and details filled in, link it from your website, and keep one official page per platform. Report fake accounts to the platform as soon as you see them.
- Warn people publicly when you spot a scam. A short post with a screenshot of the fake account protects others and shows you take it seriously.
- Tell customers how to report fraud. In Kenya, suspicious SMS messages can be forwarded free to 333, Safaricom’s fraud reporting line. Serious cases should go to the police with the transaction details.
What to do when a customer has been scammed
Be kind and quick. Ask for the M-Pesa message or bank details, help them report it straight away, and record the number used so you can warn others. Even though the loss isn’t your fault, how you respond decides whether they trust you again.
How an assistant helps
An AI assistant on your WhatsApp number can answer “is this your number?” in seconds, any time of day. If the number isn’t yours, it tells the customer not to pay and alerts your team, so you can warn others. It also repeats your payment rules every time someone asks how to pay, and it never asks for a PIN. Property developers and Saccos, who handle large deposits, get the most from this; you can try it on our real estate and Sacco pages.
Common questions
Can I stop people copying my business on WhatsApp?
Not completely, but you can report fake accounts to WhatsApp, link your real number from your website and Google profile, and tell customers which number is yours. The easier it is to check, the less the copies work.
Should we accept payments to a staff member’s phone?
No. Even for small amounts, it teaches customers that personal numbers are normal, which is exactly what fraudsters rely on.
What should our welcome message say?
Your name, your official payment details, and one line on what you will never ask for. Keep it short enough that people actually read it.
If you would like to see how the payment-number check works, open the demo on our real estate page, tap “Is this legit?” and try a number. Or message our assistant on WhatsApp with questions about setting one up for your business.
Questions about your own business? Ask our assistant, any time.