Nagad virtual number eliminates harassment of women over phone

Nagad, the mobile financial service of the Bangladesh Post Office, has been offering an in-built virtual number and thus helping its female customers to avoid harassment over phone, safeguarding their privacy and eliminating incidents of fraudulence, reports BSS.

The Nagad virtual number allows its users to enjoy all services even after hiding their mobile numbers as such numbers work as stand-in for MFS customers' actual mobile account numbers, thus preventing the trend of stalking over phone and incidents of fraudulence.

For ensuring such a secure platform for financial transactions, Nagad has successfully facilitated many women to enjoy full freedom when it comes to making a transaction.

MFS operators said there used to be incidents of women facing harassment or falling victim to fraudulence over phone. This happened because their mobile numbers got disclosed while they made any transaction at service points.

That is why many women were very cautious and refrained from availing financial services at agent points unless it was very essential.

Revealing the experience of such kind of harassment, Rina Akter, a MFS customer of Netrakona, said that roughly a year ago she went to a transaction point near her home to cash in Taka 2000. "But a few hours later, I started getting phone calls from unknown numbers. They used to disturb me even at midnight. Such annoyance continued for the next few days. Later, I was forced to change my phone number."

Rina said that after she opened up a Nagad account, she does not have to share her mobile number. "I use my virtual number to make transactions of any amount. Nagad has given me protection and freedom in financial transactions," she said with happiness.

Seeking anonymity, another college girl from Mymensingh said, "I had some unpleasant experience a couple of years ago when I disclosed my number to an MFS agent for cashing in an amount to pay my education fee. A boy followed me to the transaction point and collected my number. Later, he disturbed me from various numbers."

The college girl, who is now a university student, said, "Nagad has made my life easier as I can cash in any amount for various purposes, such as mobile recharge and university fee payments, using my virtual number."

Women's continuous shifting to Nagad to fulfill their need for financial transactions has also given rise to many female "Uddoktas" across the country, who had once struggle to make a living.

Priti Rani, a 40-year-old widow from Rangpur village, said it was Nagad that has brought her solvency. "Now, I can bear the educational expenses of children with the earnings, I get from my uddokta point," she added.

Sadat Adnan Ahmad, chief marketing officer of Nagad said, "Nagad always gives importance to people's financial freedom. We're working to ensure our customers' full protection and secure their privacy when they make any transactions."

"In our journey, we've ensured that our female customers, in particular, do not face any harassment while using Nagad. That is why we have introduced an in-built virtual number as a substitute for their real number for financial transactions." he added.