Kenya’s largest mobile network Safaricom has shut down a phone code that has been ‘illegally’ used to trade in points on its loyalty programme Bonga by Nairobi IT firm Onfon Media.
Safaricom said the code was established without its approval and that the mobile operator is considering what action to take against Onfon Media.
Onfon Media developed the code *981*400# that was used last week to buy loyalty points from Safaricom subscribers at KES 0.20 each and then sell them off for KES 0.35, according to a Business Daily report.
Onfon Media reportedly started operations of the code on 30 October and is said to have handled more than 10,000 orders in four hours before it was shut down by Safaricom.
In terms of the six-year-old Bonga loyalty programme, Safaricom subscribers earn one point for every KES 10 spent on voice calls, SMS, internet and certain chargeable M-Pesa transactions.
Bonga Points can then be redeemed in the form of airtime, SMSs, data bundles and merchandise such as mobile phones, modems and laptops. They can also be transferred to other users.
Share