Safaricom PLC has initiated investigations following reports from customers who woke up to missing Bonga Points, with account statements indicating unauthorized redemptions.
On March 29, reports of missing Bonga Points surfaced among Safaricom PLC customers, with users indicating that their Bonga points were transferred to unknown recipients in a series of early-morning transactions.
Message logs shared online show multiple redemptions occurring between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m., reducing account balances without user authorization.
An example of a transaction reported by affected users shows how the points were deducted:
“Your expenditure of Ksh50 worth 250 points to Otenyo Momanyi Aruya Till 5307214 was successful. The transaction reference number is UCTUB8ZHVN. Your Bonga Points balance is 10,998.0.”
Similar messages indicate multiple transactions within short intervals, with increasing amounts of points redeemed to different recipients without user authorization.
“Good morning, @SafaricomPLC@Safaricom_Care. What’s going on with the bonga points system this morning? Been receiving messages about the point being allegedly transferred to all sorts of people since 2 a.m,” asked @Junganga, a concerned customer.
Safaricom Responds to Customers’ Bonga Points Loss
In response, Safaricom confirmed it is aware of the issue, stating that cases of fraudulent Bonga Points redemption are under investigation and that a resolution process is underway.
The company has issued apologies to affected users as it works to address the incident.
“Hi. We are aware of the issue of Bonga points being redeemed fraudulently, and this is under investigation. Apologies for the inconvenience caused,” read the reply.
In a call to the Safaricom PLC customer care line, affected users are informed that the company is working to resolve the issue and will notify customers once normal service and balances are restored.
Also Read: Safaricom Clients to Pay for Goods and Services Using 5G Bundles
Safaricom Bonga Points and Enrollments
Safaricom PLC states that Bonga Points is a loyalty rewards programme that allows customers in Kenya to earn points through spending on services such as airtime, data, SMS, and M-Pesa transactions.
Customers earn 1 Bonga point for every KSh 10 spent on voice, SMS, and data, and 1 point for every KSh 100 spent via M-Pesa. Both prepaid and postpaid users can participate after enrolling through *126#.
Safaricom indicates that users can enroll, check balances, and manage their accounts via *126#, the MySafaricom app, or the SIM toolkit, with new users often receiving bonus points upon registration.
Also Read: How to Shop Using Safaricom Bonga Points
Points are subject to expiry after a defined period if unused, following changes introduced around 2023.
Redemption, Transfers, and Additional Features
The company outlines that points can be redeemed for airtime, minutes, SMS bundles, data, devices, and merchandise, including via the “Lipa na Bonga” option, which converts points into monetary value for goods and services.
Safaricom also provides point transfers between users in set minimum amounts, along with additional features such as bundle renewals and device purchase options accessible through the Bonga menu.
