The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has issued a directive to Opay, a prominent fintech company, demanding an explanation for reported account anomalies experienced by Nigerians in recent days.
Opay, functioning as a regulated mobile money provider, utilizes users’ mobile numbers as their account numbers. However, concerns have arisen as individuals claim their mobile numbers and full identities are associated with Opay accounts without their consent.
Social media platform X has become a repository for complaints from Nigerians who allege the unauthorized opening of Opay accounts using their names and phone numbers. Users, such as @hackSultan, expressed disbelief, stating, “Just checked now and someone, I have an Opay account, same with every member of my family. None of us has ever opened an Opay account. How’s this even legal?”
@0sadebame echoed this sentiment, confirming, “It’s quite a discovery. Both my lines have an Opay account registered to them. I’ve never used Opay before.”
Inspired by these revelations, others, like @Lost_DWTBF, conducted similar checks, discovering the same anomaly. He tweeted, “I just checked mine and is the same. @OPay_NG, is there a reason why my number is registered when I have never?”
Some users conducted experiments, attempting to send money from another bank app by choosing Opay as the receiving bank and using their phone numbers as account numbers, leading to further verification of the issue.
Reacting to the growing concerns, Mr. Babatunde Irukera, the CEO of FCCPC, called on Opay to clarify the situation and promised to provide updates. In a post on social media platform X, he stated, “OPAY is bound to @fccpcnigeria to address and explain this and other anomalies consumers have identified in the last few days.”
Opay, in response, expressed that they are internally analyzing the situation. They assured users that all wallet owners are properly registered and suggested that some users may have interacted with the platform at some point. Opay committed to investigating the matter thoroughly before providing a comprehensive response.
