How Privacy Impacts Tipping in Kenya
If you head over to your message spam folder, what will you see? A bunch of promotional texts from organizations that you have no affiliations with whatsoever?
Have you ever gone to a restaurant, had your meal, received exceptional service from the waiter, then realized you didn’t have cash on you and couldn't tip the awesome waiter ? Or perhaps even tipped a service worker directly to their mobile phone and then wound up getting strange texts and phone calls from the person?
It’s pretty annoying, isn’t it?
Apart from the above , there is also the fact that having your number out there can highlight you as a mobile fraud target. With the rate of inflation surging from 6.5 percent to 7 percent causing life to become considerably harder, we can never be too careful when it comes to entrusting our private phone numbers to strangers.
Kenya is currently filled with phone scammers who have invested a significant portion of their time and energy into concocting appealing messages that are meant to give them access to your financial details. There are also those who pose as potential employers or job placers who offer you a lucrative job and end the call by asking you to divulge sensitive information such as your bank details.
Let us also not forget the infamous transnational Wangiri fraud which involves phone scammers waiting to profit each time a person misses their international call.
A FinAccess survey conducted last year in Kenya revealed that 47.4 percent of the participants had lost money kept in their mobile accounts. This study showcased a surge in the number of mobile money fraud cases more so after 2019 when the Central Bank of Kenya permitted free transactions of up to Ksh 1,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Nowadays, in order to avoid being a primary target for mobile fraudsters as well as being harassed by unknown numbers and organizations, you have to think twice before using your number to make some types of payments.
Lack of Privacy In Tipping
A survey carried out disclosed that only 4 out of 10 of the tippers prefer tipping in cash. According to a 2022 report by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, mobile money users in Kenya increased from 32 million to 35 million between 2021 and 2022 . More and more individuals are choosing to pay for their bills and services using mobile money services rather than cold hard cash.
With this said, after devouring a meal that forces you to lick your fingers for that aftermath taste, you will probably tip your waiter/waitress directly to their phone since you do not have cash. This puts you at the risk of always sharing your personal contact information with every service worker that gives you exceptional service.
Unfortunately, the same fate befalls service workers.
There have been several cases of service workers, particularly females, who after giving their phone number for the sole purpose of receiving tips, have to endure an unpleasant aftermath involving inappropriate texts and consistent phone calls from their clients.
This is quite uncomfortable for service workers and even scary as some of these clients who harass them can decide to take things a little too far i.e., become stalkers, call via different numbers after being blocked, scam the service worker, etc.
Frankly, it is no longer safe and harmless to give out your phone number whether you are a customer or a service worker. Criminals are getting better at hacking and establishments more aggressive in their advertising.
So how do you make sure that you can tip your service worker or receive tips as a service worker without worrying about phone scams, unpleasant texts, and phone calls?
Get aboard the Shukran train!
Shukran: Protecting The Privacy of Tippers & Service Workers
Shukran is a Kenyan-based tipping platform that allows its users to conveniently tip the most deserving service workers. This user-friendly app has a cashless and privacy feature meaning that you as a tipper will not have to worry about your phone number falling in the wrong hands. Also, the app protects the privacy of service workers as they are not required to share their personal number to the customer to be tipped. The reverse is also true in that the tipper can tip their service worker without having to show their phone number.
Explore the Shukran app to learn how you can safely and conveniently start tipping and/ receive tips today!
