How to Check Your Mobile Money Balance Safely
Fake 'you have received money' texts only work if you trust the SMS. Why you should always confirm payments through the official app or menu, and how to do it quickly.
Many mobile money scams rely on one assumption: that the text message saying you received money is true. Fake payment alerts are easy to create. Checking your actual balance takes seconds and defeats them.
The two ways to check
- The official app, downloaded from your phone's app store. See using mobile money apps safely.
- The official menu code for your provider, dialled yourself, then "Check balance" or "Mini statement".
Both show what is really in your wallet. An SMS only shows what someone typed.
When to check
- Before handing over goods to a buyer. See fake payment alerts.
- When someone says they sent money "by mistake". See the reversal scam.
- After any message about a deposit you did not expect.
Signs of a fake alert
- The sender is an ordinary phone number, not the provider's official sender name.
- The format, spacing or wording differs from your usual alerts.
- The "new balance" does not match what the app shows.
- A call or message follows quickly, asking you to send money back.
Never send money back because of a text. If money really arrived by mistake, the provider can reverse it. See mobile money scams.
For more, see our guide to mobile money and banking scams.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I trust the SMS that says I received money?
Anyone can send a text that looks like a payment alert, and some fakes use a sender name that looks official. Your balance in the official app or menu is the only proof.
What if the balance hasn't updated yet?
Wait and check again. Do not release goods or send money back until the balance shows the payment.
Is checking my balance through a link safe?
No. Use the provider's official app or the menu code printed on your SIM pack or the provider's website.
Sources
- Mobile Payment Apps: How To Avoid a Scam When You Use One, US Federal Trade Commission
- How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check Scams, US Federal Trade Commission
- Scam Advice, GSMA
