The Soma Simon Case: On Scams, Service Providers, and Civic Accountability
A Cameroon-based writer recounts a near-miss with a mobile money scam and uses it to indict Orange Cameroun and law enforcement for failing to police fraud conducted on their networks. The piece calls for transparent prosecution of identified perpetrators and systematic safeguards—arguing that the burden of prevention lies not with individual vigilance but with institutional responsibility.
Last Saturday, a message came to my phone while I was taking my afternoon nap. At first glance, it appeared to be a message from the OrangeMoney service. It said one Soma Simon had deposited 12,000 FCFA in my account. I wasn’t expecting any money from anyone but I was sleepy so I went back to sleep knowing when I wake up, I will figure out where the money is coming from. A few minutes later my phone rang and someone was on the phone claiming they had sent their money to my account by mistake and they pleaded that I should send it back.
I have made that mistake (sending money to the wrong number) in the past for a larger sum of money which I never got back and I know what a bad feeling it is. I was rather excited to caress my conscience and do the right thing since I am so much different from and better than the guy who I mistakenly sent my own money to. I told the guy I was going to send back his money but my scam antennas won’t let me send the money without checking a few things.
Normally, when I do a OrangeMoney transaction, the sms I get has OrangeMoney as the contact ID. The guy’s message which you see in the photo here looks similar to what Orange would normally send but it was coming from a phone number that was not identified in my phone. Secondly, the message sent said I had received 12,000 FCFA but my new account balance was 10060. I mean how is that possible?
In the past, I have gotten into preaching the word of God to these scammers but this time, I was sleepy. The guy called back to ask if I sent the money and I said “yes.” He asked if I am sure, and he asked me for his name which I told him. He said he hasn’t gotten it. I told him to wait that maybe it is the network disturbing. He hasn’t called back.
I have been finessed out of my money once in my life. I wasn’t going to get finessed out of that money because I’m a born skeptic and over thinker but a friend of mine convinced me to send the money to the scammer and what I feared would happen happened. This is just one of the many episodes in my life that contribute to me not being very open to trusting other people’s judgement.
Any-Ha!
There is a gang of scammers that is very active in the country right now. They either use some tricks to get you to send them some mobile money or they pose as customer service agents from one of the telecom providers asking you to send some money in order to claim a bigger package of prize money.
I can sit here and tear down the public for their self fabricated vulnerability to scams. I can insult their intelligence and greed for the number of times we have seen them get finessed out of their money but I will not be the first and that will not be the most efficient means of solving the problem. Besides some people are too hungry to even think. I think and I think the responsibility is on the service providers whose networks and services are being used for the crimes and who I think are enabling the criminals either actively or by turning a blind eye.
These internet service providers make us go through hell to get ourselves and our devices registered or identified in their databases. We go through all the stress but when we lose a device or when someone using their network scams us, they suddenly act like fishing out the device or the person is like decoding the DaVinci code. I lost my Wi-Fi modem which I bought directly from MTN. I know someone stole it and is using it on MTN’s network but they claim they have no means of knowing that. Really? Please, tell that to my late grandmother. Well, I since broke the MTN SIM card so now I have only one Orange heartache to deal with.
The service providers can do a lot to sensitize the public on how to identify scams but I know most of us won’t even read or follow. In one of the recent scam attempts, the caller even knew my name which made me wonder where he got that information from. Is there someone inside Orange that is selling our information? It is the company itself? It could also be from one of these money transfer services. You know they ask for a photocopy of your id with your phone number written on it right?
The theories are many but what the public needs is for the network providers to put a system in place for people to be able to report suspicious activity on their networks. We must also SEE that the perpetrators of such crimes are punished accordingly. I am hereby starting a campaign for us to ask Orange and the Police force to bring a certain SOMA SIMON to justice before our eyes.
This same guy has also tried to do the same thing with another friend. We have his name and we are asking you to help us get this to the attention of Orange and the Police. SHARE TILL WE FIND HIM. YOUR GRANDMOTHER MIGHT BE THE NEXT VICTIM.
- Tino Foy
Mobile money fraud was a growing problem in Cameroon during the late 2010s, exploiting the rapid uptake of services like OrangeMoney and the trust users placed in their providers. The post reflects frustration at the gap between the elaborate identity verification demanded of customers and the apparent impunity of bad actors using those same networks.
The piece articulates a shift in thinking about fraud: from moral failing to systemic negligence. Rather than shame victims or celebrate individual skepticism, it demands that service providers—which have the data, the infrastructure, and the legal standing—act as gatekeepers. The framing remains urgent: as digital finance grows across Africa, the question of who bears responsibility for security continues to test both corporate and state capacity.