Task Scams via M-Pesa
How fraudulent 'micro-task' employers use M-Pesa to collect deposits and withhold commissions from workers in Kenya and East Africa.
Part of: Task Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Task scams recruit victims through WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook groups with offers of paid work: rating hotel listings, liking YouTube videos, or submitting product reviews. In Kenya and neighbouring countries, M-Pesa is the payment rail of choice because nearly every working-age adult has a registered Safaricom SIM and can receive or send money in seconds without a bank account.
Scammers exploit M-Pesa's ubiquity to create the illusion of a legitimate payout system. Initial small commissions — sometimes as low as [amount] Kenyan shillings — are paid promptly to build credibility before victims are asked to make 'activation' or 'upgrade' deposits that are never returned.
How this scam works on M-Pesa
A recruiter contacts the victim through a group chat and describes simple online tasks that pay [amount] per batch. The victim completes initial tasks and receives a small M-Pesa credit, confirming the operation seems real. The recruiter then explains that higher-paying task tiers require a deposit — framed as a refundable security fee or membership upgrade — to be sent via M-Pesa to a personal number or business till.
Once the deposit is made, new conditions appear: the victim must complete more tasks before the deposit is released, or they are told their account is 'frozen' and require another payment to unfreeze. M-Pesa person-to-person transfers are extremely difficult to reverse without Safaricom's intervention, and the fraudster quickly moves funds to another number or withdraws as cash.
Common red flags
- Unsolicited WhatsApp or Telegram messages offering paid tasks with no formal application process
- Early small M-Pesa payments that are replaced by requests for deposits before further earnings are released
- Job descriptions that require zero skills and promise high hourly returns
- Pressure to recruit others and earn a commission — a hallmark of multi-level task fraud
- Payment instructions direct you to a personal M-Pesa number rather than a registered business PayBill or Till
- Group chats flooded with screenshots of fake M-Pesa confirmation messages
How to protect yourself
- Verify any employer against Kenya's NGO Coordination Board, the Business Registration Service, or equivalent national registry
- Never send M-Pesa to a personal number for what is described as a corporate employer
- If an initial payment is received, do not treat it as proof of legitimacy — it is a trust-building hook
- Report any suspicious M-Pesa till or number to Safaricom's fraud line before sending money
- Refuse any job that requires payment of any kind before you can receive your earnings
How to report it
- Contact Safaricom customer care on 100 or *400# to report a fraudulent till number or personal number
- File a complaint with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Cyber Crimes Unit in Nairobi
- Report the WhatsApp or Telegram group to the respective platform's abuse reporting tool
Frequently asked questions
Can Safaricom reverse an M-Pesa payment made to a scammer?
Safaricom can sometimes reverse a transaction if reported immediately and the recipient has not yet withdrawn the funds. You must call 100 or visit a Safaricom shop with your M-Pesa statement as soon as possible. Once funds are withdrawn as cash, reversal is not possible. File a police report to support any reversal request.