MTN Mobile Money Limited has introduced an additional security feature that allows its agents to verify the identity of customers who come to withdraw money with ID cards.

This comes after agents across the country had their SIM cards blocked because they keyed in incorrect ID numbers from customers.

CEO of Mobile Money Limited, Eli Hini, explained to Citi Business News how the new feature works.

“Because the ID validation platform is not in sync with our site, you cannot actually tell if a particular ID is actually the person you are dealing with when it comes to the wallet holder,” he highlighted.

“So we’ve added another layer of control which now helps the agent doing the transaction to see the details of the owner of the wallet. It allows the agent to validate that against the ID that is presented and that helps the agent to now proceed to execute a transaction in a proper manner. So that has also been implemented and our agents have access to that further layer of control.”

MTN Mobile Money currently requires a valid national ID card before a withdrawal can be made.

The policy is part of measures by the telecom giant to check fraud in performing MoMo transactions.

But barely two weeks into the program, some merchants have had their SIM cards blocked due to what MTN says is the failure of the agents to comply with the rules and regulations of its newly introduced ID card system for Mobile Money transactions.

Scores of agitated agents massed up at various MTN offices across the country on Tuesday, to demand explanations.

Most of them, blaming the telecom company for failing to sensitize them before implementing the policy, stressed that they were unable to detect fake ID numbers on their part.

Previously, agents were unable to access the full details of persons who came to cash out money with ID numbers.

But MTN, in attempts to address this issue has issued this new feature that will give the agents more control over the ID numbers being presented to them.