AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Turn on a strong app login and a separate transaction PIN, enable fingerprint or face login on a phone that has its own screen lock, keep alerts on, and save OPay's account lock codes, *955*131# and *955*132#, which OPay lists for a lost or stolen phone. Most settings are in the app's profile or security area. None of them helps if you share a PIN or one-time code, which no genuine OPay staff will ask for.
What each setting protects against
| Setting | Where to look | Protects against |
|---|---|---|
| Phone screen lock (PIN or biometrics) | Your phone's own settings | Someone picking up an unlocked phone |
| App login password | OPay profile or security settings | Someone opening OPay on your phone |
| Transaction PIN | OPay security settings | Money moving even if the app is open |
| Fingerprint or face login | OPay security settings | Shoulder-surfing of your password in public |
| Transaction alerts | OPay notification settings | Fraud going unnoticed for days |
| Account and card lock codes | Dial *955*131# or *955*132# | Losses after a phone is lost or stolen |
OPay's website (checked October 2026) names the lock codes and says OPay is PCI DSS compliant, with data encrypted and scanned daily for threats. It does not publish a guide to the in-app security screens, so labels may differ slightly between app versions.
The settings, one by one
1. Lock the phone itself
Everything else rests on this. Use a six-digit PIN or biometrics, set the screen to lock after a short time, and hide message previews on the lock screen so codes cannot be read without opening the phone.
2. A login password nobody can guess
Avoid birthdays, phone numbers and repeated digits. Do not reuse your email or social media password. If you have ever typed it in front of someone, change it.
3. A separate transaction PIN
Your transaction PIN approves money leaving the account. Make it different from your phone PIN, your login and your card PIN. If one leaks, the others still hold. If you have forgotten it, see resetting your OPay PIN.
4. Biometric login
Fingerprint or face login means you type your password less often in public. Turn it on only if your phone's own biometrics are registered to you alone; anyone whose fingerprint is saved on the phone can open the app.
5. Alerts
Keep transaction notifications on so you see every debit as it happens. Whether SMS alerts cost anything is covered in does OPay charge for SMS alerts.
6. Save the lock codes
OPay lists *955*131# and *955*132# to lock your account or card if your phone is stolen or misplaced. Write them down somewhere you can reach without the phone, such as a card in your wallet or a note at home that a family member can find, with the app and card line, 0700 8888 328 or 020 18888 328.
Habits no setting can replace
- Never share your PIN, password or any one-time code. A caller who asks for them is not OPay.
- Contact OPay only through the app or the numbers on its website. Fake 'customer care' accounts reply to complaints on social media; see fake bank customer care.
- Install OPay only from the official app store listing; do not install app files sent by anyone.
- Do not let a POS agent or shop attendant type your card PIN.
- Be alert to SIM problems: if your phone suddenly loses signal for no reason, call your network. See SIM swap fraud.
A five-minute monthly check
Settings drift: phones get replaced, fingerprints of family members get added, and old devices stay logged in. Once a month, run through this list:
- Scroll through last month's transaction history and confirm you recognise every debit, including small ones, which fraudsters sometimes use to test an account.
- Check that push notifications for OPay are still allowed in your phone's settings; a system update can switch them off.
- Look at which fingerprints or faces are registered on your phone, and remove any that are not yours.
- Make sure your email and phone number on the account are current, since they are used to reach you about security.
- If you have changed phones, make sure OPay is not still installed and logged in on the old one before you sell or give it away.
Shared or family phones
If a child or relative uses your phone, biometric login is only safe when their fingerprint or face is not registered on it. Keep the transaction PIN private even from family, and log out of OPay before handing the phone over. A separate, inexpensive phone for a child is often safer than sharing yours.
If something already looks wrong
- Lock the account with *955*131# or *955*132#, or call 0700 8888 328.
- Change your login password and transaction PIN from a phone you trust.
- Check your transaction history and report anything you did not do; see OPay account hacked.
- If OPay does not acknowledge your complaint within three days, the CBN's complaint guide lets you write to its Consumer Protection Department at cpd@cbn.gov.ng.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme uses an authenticator app instead of SMS codes, plus a transaction PIN, so a stolen SIM alone cannot approve a payment. See Pryme security and authenticator app vs SMS codes.
Questions people ask
How do I secure my OPay account?
Lock your phone, use a strong login password and a separate transaction PIN, turn on biometric login, keep alerts on, and save the lock codes *955*131# and *955*132#.
How do I block my OPay account?
Dial *955*131# or *955*132#, which OPay lists for locking the account or card if your phone is lost or stolen, or call 0700 8888 328.
Is fingerprint login on OPay safe?
It is safer than typing your password in public, as long as only your own fingerprints or face are registered on the phone.
Will OPay ever ask for my PIN?
No legitimate support process needs your PIN, password or one-time code. Anyone asking is attempting fraud.
Sources
- OPay website: services, OPay Card, OWealth, security and customer service (OPay Digital Services Limited, 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- CBN: How to lodge a complaint (Consumer Protection Department) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.