Warning: Fake Internet Offers Target DRC Mobile Money Users

Congolese internet users are being warned about fake low-cost internet promotions designed to steal passwords, secret codes and money from Mobile Money accounts.

The fraudulent adverts are circulating mainly through WhatsApp and Facebook. Some promise unlimited Starlink internet for prices far below normal market offers, then direct interested users to websites that collect their personal and financial information.

According to Radio Okapi, a Bukavu resident identified as Mister Paffs followed a link advertising one month of unlimited Starlink access for $7 under the name of a local telecommunications company.

He reportedly entered information connected to his digital wallet. More than $65 disappeared from the account shortly afterwards, while the promised internet service was never provided.

The Bukavu case is a reported victim account, not a national loss estimate.

Radio Okapi says other Congolese consumers have reported similar incidents, but neither a regulator nor a law-enforcement agency has published a verified national number of victims, the total amount stolen or an arrest connected to this specific campaign.

How the fake internet offer works

The method is a form of phishing.

Criminals do not need to break into a Mobile Money platform when they can persuade an account holder to give them the information needed to access or authorise transactions.

The scam generally follows five steps: