Impersonation scams use the authority of a trusted organisation. The caller claims to be from your financial institution, Telebirr, or Ethio Telecom, supposedly stopping fraud, verifying your account, or announcing a prize, and walks you into revealing an OTP, PIN, or password, or paying a fee for a prize that doesn't exist.
The caller opens with authority and urgency: 'we've detected fraud on your account'.
They 'verify' you with questions, then ask you to read back the code just sent to your phone. That code authorises their transaction, not yours.
Prize variants congratulate you for a competition you never entered, then ask for a code or a 'processing fee' to release the winnings.
Once they have the code or fee, money leaves your account and the number goes silent.
Any caller asking you to read back an OTP, PIN, or password.
A prize for a competition you never entered.
Pressure to act during the call, and threats your account will be blocked.
Trusting caller ID alone. Numbers can be spoofed or recycled.
No genuine institution will ever ask for your OTP, PIN, or password. Hang up.
Call back using the number on your card or the official short code, never a number the caller gives you.
Real prizes never require an upfront fee or a code from your phone.
Report the calling number here so others can check it.