Fake transfer alerts: how to check a payment before you release goods

The one rule: check your account, not their proof

A screenshot, a PDF receipt and even an SMS can be faked, and so can a "successful transfer" screen on a fake banking app. Confirm the payment through your own bank’s official app or channel before you hand over goods.

Make it a rule for everyone who takes payments for you, including staff and riders: no confirmed credit in the app, no release.

Warning signs of a fake alert

• The customer is in a hurry and pressures you to release before you check
• They send a screenshot or receipt instead of waiting for your alert
• The SMS comes from an odd sender name, or arrives but your balance has not changed
• The amount, name or time on the receipt does not match what you expected
• They claim the transfer is "pending" and ask you to release anyway
• They overpay and ask you to refund the difference
• The "alert" comes from an ordinary phone number instead of your bank’s usual sender
• They show you a success screen on their own phone instead of letting you check yours

How to check in seconds

• Open your bank or wallet app and go to the transaction history, not just notifications
• Confirm the exact amount, the sender, the date and time, and the reference
• Check the transaction status is successful and the money is in the right account
• For POS, wait for the terminal to show the transaction as approved and print the receipt
• Only issue your own receipt after the money shows in your bank app. You can make one in a minute with our free receipt generator
• If it is missing or unclear, contact your bank through its official channels

If the transfer has not appeared, do not release the goods. Genuine transfers are sometimes delayed by bank or network issues, so ask the customer to wait while it resolves. Never treat a waiting period as proof of payment.

Make payments confirm themselves

The safest fix is to stop checking by hand. A properly built checkout asks the payment provider to confirm each payment before the order is marked paid.

• An online store with Squad, Flutterwave or Paystack can verify every payment with the provider, checking the reference, amount, currency and status before marking the order paid. This has to be built correctly, including checking that payment notifications really come from the provider
• A dedicated account number per customer or order makes it easy to match transfers to orders
• A WhatsApp bot can send the order to your team only after the payment is confirmed, so nobody releases goods on a screenshot

This is the kind of setup we build into every online store, and it can also be added to a WhatsApp ordering flow through our AI and automation service.

If you have already been scammed

• Write down everything: the account name and number used, phone numbers, times and screenshots
• Report it to your bank and the bank the scammer used as soon as possible
• Report it to the police, including the Nigeria Police National Cybercrime Centre, and keep the report reference
• Warn your staff and other sellers you know