Move Secure: How To Use This Escrow to Avoid MoMo Fraud

By Gabriel Agbobli Last updated Dec 23, 2021

Mobile Money (MoMo) has become the preferred payment method for services by many Ghanaians across the country. This is mainly because of its easy-to-use feature which makes it ideal for both the young and old, literate and illiterate, and also those using feature “yam” phones and smartphones.

Because of the high patronage of mobile money (MoMo) by Ghanaians, fraudsters have also taken advantage of this to rip people off the money in their wallets. This problem has been affecting both the educated and the uneducated in society.

With just a few words from these fraudsters and the way they talk to you, you might end up falling victim to them and through the process lose your money to them. Unfortunately, most of the time, the money lost cannot be recovered and this might be very worrying, especially in these times that money is hard to come across.

In response to these mobile money frauds and their related issues, an escrow service has been introduced by Nsano to help facilitate secure mobile money transactions and through the process eliminate the activities of fraudsters and scammers. Therefore, in this article, I am going to show you everything you need to know about Move Secure and how to use it to prevent you from being scammed on MoMo.

What is an Escrow?

According to Investopedia, an escrow is a legal concept describing a financial instrument whereby an asset or money is held by a third party on behalf of two other parties that are in the process of completing a transaction. The escrow account might include fees managed by agents who hold the funds or asset until receiving appropriate instructions or until the fulfillment of predetermined contractual obligations.

To break it down into everyday English, an escrow simply represents a third party who receives goods or money from someone on behalf of two people. So, once the agreement by the two (2) parties is met, then the escrow will release the fund or good to the respective party.

For example, Kofi is selling an iPhone 13 Pro Max for GHS 12,000 and Ama wants to buy it through an escrow. What happens is that Ama will send the money to the escrow (who is an unbiased third-party) and once the product is inspected and meets the agreement made by Kofi and Ama, then they will both contact the escrow for the money to be sent to Kofi. In case the product does not meet the criteria or Ama is dissatisfied, the money will then be sent back to Ama, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will also be sent back to Kofi.

That is exactly how move secure operates. Move Secure will hold the money in trust until both the vendor and the buyer confirm their satisfaction with the transaction. Otherwise, the buyer will get his or her money back.

How To Use Move Secure So People Can’t Use MoMo to Fraud You

There are two (2) main ways you can use Move Secure, i.e., on the mobile app or using the USSD.

How To Use Move Secure Using USSD

Dial *718# on your device
Select option 2 (Move Secure)
Select option 1 (Make Payments)
Enter the merchant code or phone number you are paying the money to
Select the network of the phone number (registered on mobile money)
Enter the amount
Enter the description of the product or service (max. 60 characters)
The details will be shown to you. Press 1 to confirm or 2 to Cancel. You can also press 1# to go back or 0# to go Home
A confirmation will be sent for you to authorize the payment.

How To Use Move Secure Using The Mobile App

Download the MoveGH app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store
Once the installation is complete, open the app
Click Next to read through the instructions or Skip to skip
Tap on Sign up
Enter your First name and Last name and press Next afterward
Select your mobile network and enter your phone number, press Next afterward
If you would like to add your email, enter it in the provided space or tap Skip
Enter a PIN and confirm it
Once the sign up is complete, log into your account and follow the screen prompt

Conclusion

In terms of disputes or conflict with the transaction, you can use the same procedure but instead of selecting payment, you must select dispute and follow the on-screen prompts. Move Secure was introduced to make sure the activities of fraudsters are minimalized gradually.

In this article, we have talked about everything you need to know about Move Secure: the escrow which has come to combat fraud in mobile money transactions. The steps are very easy and straightforward thereby allowing everyone to be able to use them.

Since many people are not aware of this, please share it with your friends and loved ones as you might be helping someone who needs this. Your comments and concerns are also welcome in the comments section below.