Nigeria Fintech Flutterwave Denies Client Account Hacking Reports

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The Nigerian fintech Flutterwave has rejected reports suggesting that hackers have stolen as much as $6.3 million from user accounts. The fintech firm said a routine check of its transaction monitoring system helped to uncover “an unusual trend of transactions on some users’ profiles.”

Motion to Freeze

The Nigerian fintech unicorn, Flutterwave, has said reports suggesting that hackers stole approximately $6.3 million from client accounts are not true. In a statement issued on March 5, the fintech insisted that no user lost any funds and that corrective action taken had in fact enabled it to “address the issue before any harm could be done to our users.”

Flutterwave’s statement denying the hacking claims followed a Techpoint report which suggested that as much as $6.3 million (2.9 billion naira) had been siphoned from users’ accounts. According to the report, the hacking incident is thought to have occurred in early February and Flutterwave is believed to have reacted to this by filing a motion to freeze accounts in as many as 27 financial institutions.

While the statement suggested that Flutterwave is working with “other financial institutions and law enforcement agencies to keep our ecosystem safe and secure,” the fintech firm however insisted it only took action after detecting anomalies on some users’ accounts.

“During a routine check of our transaction monitoring system, we identified an unusual trend of transactions on some users’ profiles. Our team immediately launched a review (in line with our standard operating procedure), which revealed that some users who had not activated some of our recommended security settings might have been susceptible,” the fintech firm explained.

Flutterwave added that the preemptive steps it took helped it to address the issue before “any harm could be done to our users.”

You are popular I will post evidence here, A hack confirmed by a flutterwave staff, my bank confirming flutterwave contacted them, flutterwave submitting a petition with a lawyer whose seal has expired since 2017. Their statement and Affidavit swearing this true, as oath. pic.twitter.com/zEHVMCgQOn

— Ufedo (@UfedoDavid) March 5, 2023

Meanwhile, on Twitter, some users rejected Flutterwave’s version of what transpired and have insisted that the hacking incident is true. One user, known as Alex Onyia, tweeted that Flutterwave had been hacked by Omar Edewor Trades and that millions of naira had been stolen from customer accounts. Another user, Ufedo, shared “evidence” which proved that the hacking incident did occur.

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