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Pause, Hakikisha, Send: Simple Habits That Help Keep Your Money Safe
You are about to send money to your child’s school when you receive a message saying the school has changed its payment number.
The message looks genuine. The name is familiar. You are in a hurry, so you enter the new number and prepare to send the money.
Then you pause. As an Equity Customer, before completing the transaction, the Hakikisha feature gives you an opportunity to confirm who you are actually sending the money to.
Equity’s Hakikisha displays the recipient’s name before you complete a transaction, giving you a simple way to check that the person or business you intend to pay matches the details on your screen. If the name is not what you expected, you can stop and verify the payment details before sending your money.
It is a small step, but one that can make a significant difference when making everyday payments.
Pause Before You Send
Consider another situation.
You are paying a supplier for goods and have received new payment details through a message. Instead of immediately sending the money, you enter the details and check the recipient’s name displayed through Hakikisha.
The name does not match the supplier you intended to pay. That is your cue to stop.
Rather than relying only on the message you received, contact the supplier through a trusted number or channel you have and confirm whether the payment details have actually changed.
Hakikisha is designed to give you this additional check before you complete the transaction. It helps you see the name associated with the account or mobile number you are paying, allowing you to make a more informed decision before the money is sent.
This is particularly useful for payments such as school fees, rent, supplier payments, purchases and other routine transactions where a mistake can be costly.
When Someone Says They Sent You Money
The same habit of pausing can help in another common situation.
You receive a call from someone claiming they have accidentally sent money to your number. They sound concerned and ask you to send it back immediately. Before responding, check your account.
If the money is not reflected in your account, do not send anything simply because the caller sounds convincing. If a transaction has actually come through, verify the details and seek assistance through official channels before taking action.
The pressure to act quickly is often part of the trick. Taking a moment to check can prevent you from sending your own money to someone who never sent you anything in the first place.
Pause, Hakikisha, Send: Simple Habits That Help Keep Your Money Safe
When the Caller Sounds Convincing
Then there is the call that appears to come from someone who knows about your banking.
The caller says they are helping you with account recovery, mobile banking verification or another service. They ask for the OTP that has just arrived on your phone.
Stop. An OTP, PIN and password are personal security credentials. They should never be shared with another person, even if the caller claims to be helping you or appears to know some of your details.
Always remember, Equity will never ask you to disclose your PIN, password or OTP.
If you receive a suspicious call or message, report suspicious numbers or SMS messages to 333 or contact Equity through its official contact center 0763 000 000 or dial 100 if you are using an Equitel line.
Security Starts with a Simple Pause
Digital banking allows you to make payments and manage your money without visiting a branch, but convenience should not mean rushing through transactions.
A simple pause can give you time to check the recipient, confirm a payment request or question an unexpected instruction.
That is where habits such as Pause, Hakikisha, Send become useful.
Hakikisha adds a recipient check to the payment process, while careful habits such as verifying unexpected payment changes, checking your account before refunding money and protecting your security credentials add another layer of protection.
For tips on secure banking, visit: https://equitygroupholdings.com/ke/secure-banking-tips/
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