Is it safe to pay an account number sent on WhatsApp? How to check before you send a gift
The short answer
Usually it is, but check first. Nigeria's interbank settlement system, NIBSS, reported that tricking people into sending money (social engineering) was the main method fraudsters used in 2023, when fraud losses reached ₦17.67bn. Before you send a gift, confirm with the host by a call, check that the account name your bank shows makes sense for the event, and prefer a page tied to a verified host over a number forwarded on its own.
- Social engineering was fraudsters' predominant technique in 2023, NIBSS reported, with losses of ₦17.67bn.
- People aged 40 and over were the primary targets, according to the same NIBSS report.
- Check the account name your banking app shows before you confirm, and call the host if anything is off.
- Hosts: fake credit alerts exist. Trust your bank balance, not a screenshot.
- On a Spray page, the account number belongs to the event's page, the host is verified, and payouts go only to their verified bank account.
Why it's worth checking
WhatsApp was mentioned by over 96% of Nigerian internet users aged 16 and over in 2025, so invitations, Aso Ebi and gift requests travel there, and so do account numbers. Most are exactly what they look like. But a number in a forwarded message carries no proof of who it belongs to, and a message can be copied, edited or sent from a cloned account.1
₦17.67bn
Fraud losses reported by NIBSS for 2023, up 23% on the year before. NIBSS said social engineering, persuading people to send money or share details, remained the predominant technique.2
The same NIBSS report found that people aged 40 and over were the primary targets. That includes many of the uncles, aunties and parents who give at family events, so it's worth sharing these checks in the family group.2
Five checks before you send
- Check the account name. Your banking app shows the name on the account before you confirm. If it's a stranger's name, or a business with no link to the event, stop and ask.
- Confirm with the host by a call or voice note, not by replying to the same message. A quick 'is this your account for the wedding?' costs nothing.
- Be wary of a change. A message saying the account has changed, or asking you to pay urgently, is a reason to slow down and call.
- Prefer a page tied to a verified host. A page with the event's details and a verified badge tells you more than a bare number.
- Keep your receipt. If anything goes wrong, your bank will need the transfer details.
For hosts: trust your bank, not a screenshot
Checking runs both ways. Dubawa, a fact-checking organisation, has described 'flash fund' apps that generate counterfeit bank alerts: the seller sees what looks like a payment, hands over the goods, and the money never arrives. If you are selling Aso Ebi or souvenirs, confirm the money in your own banking app or dashboard before you hand anything over.3
On a Spray page, a payment counts only when it actually lands in the page's account. Each order shows Paid, Partially paid or Pending on your dashboard, so a screenshot is never the evidence.
Sending from abroad
$22.79bn
Personal remittances received by Nigeria in 2025, according to the World Bank. Money from relatives abroad is a large part of family life, and event gifts are one more reason to send.4
If you are abroad, the same checks apply, with one more: what the transfer costs. The World Bank put the average cost of sending $200 to Nigeria at 4.64% in 2023, the latest year it has published. Across all corridors it found banks to be the most expensive channel, at an average of 12%.56
- When you send through a money transfer service, the sender name the host sees may be the service, not you. Message the host to say it was you.
- If the host has a Spray page, you can pay by card on the page in naira, or in pounds, dollars, euros or Canadian dollars if the host has turned them on. It is recorded with your name.
What Spray does to make paying safer
Spray can't stop someone forwarding a fake number, but it gives guests something better to check than a number on its own: a page for the event, with the host verified and the payments recorded.
- Each event page has its own account number, shown on the page itself, so you can check you're on the right celebrant's page before you pay.
- Hosts confirm who they are with their BVN or NIN before they can take payments. Verified hosts show a badge.
- New pages are reviewed.
- Money goes through a licensed payment partner to the host's bank account, and payouts only go to an account in the host's verified name. Spray doesn't hold it in a wallet.
- Every payment is matched to a name, so the host knows your gift came from you.
- If a page looks wrong, use Report this page at the bottom. Payouts pause while it is checked.
Open the link from the host
Check the page shows the right names, date and venue, and look for the verified badge.
Choose what you're paying for
Aso Ebi, a wishlist item or a cash gift. Add a note if you like.
Pay to the page's account number or by card
Transfer the exact amount shown to the account number on the page, or pay by card. You see the total before you pay.
Get your confirmation
You'll see a confirmation when the payment lands, matched to your name.
Questions
- How do I know an event account number is genuine?
- Check the account name your banking app shows before you confirm, and confirm with the host by a call rather than by replying to the message. A page tied to a verified host is easier to check than a forwarded number.
- What is the most common bank fraud in Nigeria?
- NIBSS reported that social engineering, persuading people to send money or share their details, was the predominant technique in 2023, when fraud losses reached ₦17.67bn.
- How can a seller spot a fake credit alert?
- Don't rely on an SMS or screenshot. Check the balance in your own banking app or payment dashboard before handing anything over; fact-checkers have documented apps that generate counterfeit alerts.
- Is it safe to pay on a Spray page?
- Hosts confirm who they are before taking payments, money goes through a licensed payment partner to the host's verified bank account, and every payment is matched to a name. You can report a page that looks wrong.
- I'm abroad. What's the cheapest way to send a gift?
- Costs vary by service. The World Bank found banks were the costliest channel on average, at 12%, and put the average cost of sending $200 to Nigeria at 4.64% in 2023. On a Spray page you can also pay by card.
Sources
- Statista, 2025. Leading social media platforms in Nigeria
- NIBSS, 2024. 2023 Annual Fraud Landscape
- Dubawa, 2024. How to identify fake bank alerts generated by flash fund apps
- World Bank World Development Indicators, 2026. Personal remittances, received (current US$), Nigeria
- World Bank World Development Indicators, 2026. Average transaction cost of sending remittances to a specific country (%), Nigeria
- World Bank and KNOMAD, 2024. Migration and Development Brief 40: Remittances Slowed in 2023, Expected to Grow Faster in 2024