# I'm 16, self-taught, and I built a fake transfer receipt detector for Nigerian businesses

> Source: <https://dev.to/jonathan_simon_6c4d439215/im-16-self-taught-and-i-built-a-fake-transfer-receipt-detector-for-nigerian-businesses-19c3>
> Published: 2026-09-29 02:33:16+00:00

Hi Dev.to 👋

I'm Jonathan, 16, from Bauchi, Nigeria. Self-taught developer. This is my first real product.

## 
  
  
  The Problem I'm Solving

Fake bank transfer receipts are destroying Nigerian small businesses.

A buyer sends a screenshot of a "successful transfer" — it looks 100% real. The vendor ships the goods. The money never lands. The vendor loses the goods AND the money, with zero recourse.

I've seen one of these fake receipts myself. If a vendor wasn't paying attention, they'd be scammed in 5 seconds.

## 
  
  
  What I Built

**NaijaStack** — a free business automation tool for Nigerian SMEs.

Key features:

- 
**AI Fake Transfer Detector** — scans payment receipts (OPay, PalmPay, Moniepoint, GTBank, etc.) and flags fakes: edited fonts, wrong session IDs, doctored amounts
- 
**AI Magic Fill** — type "Emeka bought 2 shirts for 15k" and the form fills itself
- 
**Order tracking** — New → In Progress → Ready → Paid
- 
**Stock management** — auto-decrements when you sell
- **Expense tracker + 7-day P&L dashboard**
- **WhatsApp receipts, reminders, and rider dispatch**
- 
**AI Business Assistant** — ask "how much profit did I make this week?" and get a real answer

## 
  
  
  Tech Stack

- Vanilla JS (no framework)
- Firebase Firestore + Auth
- Google Gemini API via Netlify Functions (API key never exposed)
- PWA (installable, works offline)
- Hosted on Netlify

## 
  
  
  What I Learned Building This

1. 
**Structure over features.** My first version had nested event listeners that duplicated orders. Lesson: keep functions clean.
2. 
**Security is not optional.** I moved my Gemini API key to a Netlify Function after realizing it was exposed in the browser.
3. 
**Small details matter.** Toasts, skeleton loaders, an onboarding tour — these took 10% of the time and made a 90% difference in feel.

## 
  
  
  What I Need Help With

- Security — I'm learning this as I go. Any tips on Firestore rules or API safety?
- AI prompt engineering — how would you improve the fake receipt detection?
- Getting my first users — I have zero. Advice welcome.

## 
  
  
  Try It

It's free during beta, no card:

**[https://naijastack.netlify.app](https://naijastack.netlify.app)**

Feedback welcome — good or bad. I'd rather know what's broken than ship something mediocre.

— Jonathan