Mozambique’s emergency response to Covid-19: Beneficiaries directly targeted by crime rings

In 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic hit Mozambique, the government started implementing the National Response Plan of Social Protection which aims to pay cash transfers to 1,582,179 beneficiaries. These cash transfers are done via mobile phone through the service Mpesa.

Throughout the roll-out of the programme, there have been reports of people being threatened and harassed over the phone by thugs demanding that benefit claimants hand in the phones to which the benefit is linked. It is not clear how these people got hold of claimants phone numbers.

Source: https://www.social-protection.org/gimi/gess/RessourcePDF.action;jsessionid=HWPZTprzY2nNf8RmLueLd8HAv1l-MqY2oIxFFg45WYtYD71TLqdk!-2033066120?id=57260
Authors: PSC-PS (Plataforma da Sociedade Civil Moçambicana para a Protecção Social)
Date: December 2020