How to Check if a Phone Number Is a Scam in Nigeria

Step 1: Search the number before you trust it

Paste the number into a scam checker such as AbegVerify. It works with any Nigerian format (08012345678 or +2348012345678) and shows whether the community has already reported the number. If other people have been targeted, a report may already exist.

Also try searching the number on Google in quotes. Scammers often reuse the same number across fake job ads, loan offers and marketplace listings.

Step 2: Look for the common red flags

• They ask for an OTP, PIN, BVN or card details. A real bank or company will not ask you for these by call, SMS or chat.
• They create urgency: "your account will be blocked", "the offer ends today", "send it now".
• They ask you to pay first for a job, a loan, a visa, a prize or a delivery fee.
• The number is pretending to be a bank, telecom, government agency or well-known brand but they contact you from a personal number.
• They refuse a video call, a meeting in a public place, or payment on delivery.

Step 3: Confirm through a channel you trust

If someone claims to be from your bank, hang up and call the number printed on the back of your card or on the official website. If they claim to be a company, find the company on its official website or verified social page and contact them there, not through the number they gave you.

Step 4: What to do if you already sent money or details

• Call your bank immediately and ask them to flag or reverse the transaction. Speed matters.
• Change the passwords and PINs for anything you shared. Contact your bank to block your card if you shared card details.
• Report the case to the police cybercrime unit and consider reporting to the EFCC.
• Report the number on AbegVerify so the next person is warned.

A check is a safety step, not a guarantee

A number with no reports is not automatically safe. It may simply be new. Treat a clean result as one signal, and still avoid paying strangers upfront for anything.