Beginning today, 2nd April 2021, you will need a valid national identification card before you can withdraw money from any MTN mobile money agent.

MTN Ghana earlier announced that from today, all mobile money customers would have to present a valid ID card that matches the name on the mobile money account before they can make a cash out transaction.

The move is expected to reduce mobile money fraud transactions significantly.

Chief Executive of MobileMoney Limited at MTN Ghana, Eli Hini said 150,000 mobile money agents across the country have been provided with the necessary education, training and devices to effectively implement the system from tomorrow.

According to him, the agents have been provided with devices to be able to do picture verification of the customer before the cash out will be done, adding that the idea is to ensure that only the wallet owner can be able to do a cash out.

“Any agent who accepts an ID captured on phone or copied on paper will be sanctioned if found out,” he said.

“We are currently working with Bank of Ghana to put together agents registry, which will ensure that any agent sanctioned by one operator will also be blacklisted by the regulator and will not be able to work for any other operator.”

The new system is expected to prevent the illegal practice where some people use mobile money wallets registered in the name of other persons due to the irregularities in the SIM registration.

MTN is therefore urging all customers to regularize the details on their mobile money wallets by ensuring that the person using the wallet is actually the same person in whose name the SIM and wallet is registered.

Accepted ID cards for withdrawing money:

The ID card to be accepted are Ghana Card, Passport, Voter ID, Drivers license, SSNIT card, NHIS Card.

Mr Eliot Hini however indicated that although all these cards can be used for withdrawal, SSNIT cards and NHIS Card remain ineligible for SIM registration.

Exception

In situations where a customer cannot visit a merchant, be it health reasons, the wallet owner would be required to send a letter from the health facility directly to MTN service center (not agents) and include his ID and that of the appointed proxy.

Alternatively, the customers will be required to issue a letter to a designated person attached with his ID before a transaction can be performed on his behalf.