After MPESA’s privacy protection move, Safaricom masked phone numbers in mobile money transactions, so Kenyans cannot access the senders’ details, meaning they cannot see the phone numbers after receiving money.
The move raised questions among MPESA users, especially business operators, as most complaints about customers sending either less or more than the intended amounts for goods go unaddressed.
In response to a concerned businessperson, Safaricom advised that M-Pesa users can verify a sender’s identity by forwarding the transaction confirmation message to 334 within 24 hours of receiving the funds for assistance.
This process enables a controlled request to disclose the sender’s full phone number.
How to View Full M-Pesa Sender Transaction Details
In a cross-check by The Kenya Times, after receiving money, the confirmation SMS includes partial sender details, as follows:
 “UCP75AJSX1 Confirmed. You have received (AMOUNT) from (NAME) 0745**638…”* followed by a prompt indicating that the full number can be accessed by forwarding the message to 334.
Once the message is forwarded, the recipient receives an acknowledgment: “Dear Customer, your request has been received and is being processed. You will get an SMS notification within 2 hours.” This confirms that the request has been initiated.
Also Read:Â Safaricom Explains Why Its Hakikisha Extra Verification Feature Cannot Be Turned Off
The system then notifies the sender, stating: “Dear Customer, you sent money to (RECEIVERS’ PHONE NUMBER) – (NAME), Transaction ID UCP75AJSX1 is requesting to view your complete Phone number. To approve, forward this message to 334. To decline, simply ignore it.” This step requires the sender’s consent before disclosure.
If the sender approves by forwarding the message, the recipient receives the final confirmation with full details: “Your request for M-PESA Transaction ID UCP75AJSX1 has been approved. Here are the details (SENDERS’ PHONE NUMBER) – (NAME).” This completes the identity verification process.
Why the Hakikisha Extra Verification Feature Cannot Be Turned Off
Also Read:Â Safaricom Explains Why M-Pesa Transaction Fees Are Not Reversed
Responding to frustrated users on March 23, Safaricom explained why the new Hakikisha feature, which requires users to double-verify mobile numbers when sending money, cannot be turned off.
The new Hakikisha extra verification feature includes a pop-up to the person transacting, asking them to confirm the number before sending money.
Safaricom, in its response, explained that the update is a security measure designed to prevent funds from being sent to the wrong number and noted that the feature cannot currently be disabled.
Other concerned customers questioned why the feature was only available to select users and not to everyone, calling it unfair, but Safaricom has yet to respond to this.
