How to Reverse Your M-Pesa Money When Sent to a Wrong Number

By Virginia Mwangi / Published August 9, 2019 | 7:15 am

We have all, in one way or another, sent money to a wrong number via M-Pesa. The feeling of anxiety that comes with the fear of having that wrong recipient withdraw the money is heart-wrenching.

Ever heard the humorous phrase that “there is no one who moves as fast toward an M-Pesa agent as someone who has received cash that does not belong to him/her via M-Pesa?”

One can literally feel their heartbeat as they wait to contact Safaricom’s next customer care executive agent to have the transaction canceled, well, you can easily cancel a transaction without having to wait in line or hold to get guided to it.

Did you know that Safaricom has features that ought to protect you from sending money to the wrong number?

Safaricom offers you at least 25 seconds of your transaction to confirm the name of the recipient through a pop-up message that gives you the option of dialing any number and pressing ‘send’ to automatically cancel the transaction.

In the event that the pop-message supposed to help you not to send money to a wrong number still slips through you, then, there are still chances for you recover your money, time is, however, of the essence in the recovery process.

Below is a simple process of how to reverse the M-Pesa money once you realize you have sent it to a wrong number:

Copy the Transaction code
Paste it onto a blank message
Send it to 456 and wait

As you wait, pray that the wrong recipient hasn’t withdrawn the money already or sent it elsewhere.

Sending money to a wrong number is like forgetting to ask your change back from the conductor if you forgot to ask for it before alighting then they too most likely forgot to give it or were yet to notice by the time you alighted, it is painful but who is to blame?

Be extra keen whenever you are carrying out a transaction, cancel if you are not sure and only press ’SEND’ when sure.

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In the event that the unprecedented happens and you send your hard-earned money to a number you did not intend, then, promptly follow the above steps as fast as you can to ensure the recipient does not spend or withdraw the money.