People in Traditional Authority Khosolo in Mzimba have blamed widespread mobile phone fraud for the slow adoption of digital financial services in the district.
Speaking on Sunday at Khosolo Trading Centre during a digital financial services awareness campaign by the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) and the Ministry of Finance, local shop owner Monica Luhana commended the convenience of mobile money services but voiced concerns about increasing cases of fraud.
She said: “We don’t have a bank here, but mobile money allows us to send and receive funds easily.
“But with the increasing cases of theft through trickery, people are beginning to lose confidence in mobile money. They worry their money could be stolen.”
Luhana, who frequently orders stock from wholesalers at Jenda, said she prefers sending money digitally instead of entrusting cash with transporters but urged service providers to strengthen their systems against fraudsters.
Another resident, Oman Jere, echoed Luhana’s concerns, citing an incident where his friend lost money to scammers.
“A friend was tricked into changing his pin [personal identification number] and before he knew it, all his money was gone,” he said.
Jere also highlighted challenges with network connectivity and the cost of mobile phones, suggesting that government intervention could help.
On his part, M’mbelwa District Council spokesperson Joel Phiri urged people to keep their credentials confidential and avoid cooperating with suspicious callers
