OPay, Moniepoint Warn NERSI Beneficiaries Against Fraudsters

OPay and Moniepoint have warned Nigerians about fraudsters targeting beneficiaries of the Federal Government's N50,000 monthly National Economic Stabilisation and Recovery Initiative (NERSI) relief support. The payment providers said beneficiaries do not need to pay processing fees or share their PINs, OTPs and passwords to receive the money.

OPay: no fee, no PIN, no OTP

OPay warned customers not to pay any fee or disclose sensitive banking information to access the NERSI relief. It specifically cautioned against sharing bank or wallet PIN, one-time password, account passwords and other confidential banking details. It also warned against paying money as processing or registration fees and clicking unverified links claiming to offer access to the N50,000 support.

OPay said eligible customers will receive a pop-up notification on its app homepage, which they can open to follow the next steps. Customers can also check eligibility by dialling *955*20#. The company clarified that it does not determine eligibility and that customers who cannot see the NERSI feature on their app are not eligible for the current selection. Customers who need assistance should contact NERSI on 0700-022-2222.

Moniepoint says SMS is genuine

Moniepoint confirmed that SMS notifications sent to selected beneficiaries about the NERSI payment are genuine. It said selected customers can dial *5573*27# to claim their N50,000 support. The notice also listed 557327# as the access code for selected Moniepoint customers.

Moniepoint warned that it will never request customers' PINs, OTPs or processing fees to release the funds. It added that beneficiaries will not incur hidden fees or SMS charges when accessing the support.

Safety rules for beneficiaries

The warnings come amid concerns that fraudsters could impersonate government officials, payment providers or programme agents to deceive people hoping to receive the N50,000 support. Nigerians should use only official payment provider applications and verified USSD codes. They should never disclose their PIN, OTP or password to anyone. They should ignore requests to pay registration, activation or processing fees and avoid clicking links sent by unknown individuals claiming to offer NERSI registration. Suspicious messages should be reported through the official helpline.

The Federal Government has named five approved digital financial service providers for the N50,000 monthly cash relief to vulnerable Nigerians. The government said it is working with licensed digital financial service providers to ensure beneficiaries receive their funds securely. The support is distributed through OPay, Moniepoint, ALAT by Wema Bank, MoMo PSB and NairaGram.

The alerts put payment security at the centre of the N50,000 relief rollout. For beneficiaries, the rule is simple: the money is free, but any request for a fee or banking secret is a scam.