This archive report was first published on 5 November 2021.
On November 5, 2021, Kenya Power launched an investigation into online scammers draining the utility company of revenues through the sale of discounted pre-paid tokens.
Investigations have revealed a ring of fraudsters colluding with internal staff using a web of unidentified mobile numbers to target unsuspecting customers through popular social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook.
Some customers are lured to fake websites with token offers at varied costs and are required to fill in their details, including electricity meter numbers, exposing themselves to cybercriminals. Most payments to the pre-paid token scammers are done via e-wallets and other mobile banking platforms.
Kenya Power has instituted an internal investigation after being notified about the fraud. The company has also warned that anyone found to have participated in this activity will be subjected to the full force of the law.
According to an investigative report by Nation Media, staff at the electricity distributor have manipulated the system to generate payment codes for illegal buyers who receive way higher units than usual.
“Last month, we were alerted by members of the public and the media of communication that was being circulated by unscrupulous people purporting to be selling discounted pre-paid electricity tokens,” the Kenya Power communications team said in response via text.
As a result, Kenya Power immediately commenced investigations to get to the bottom of the matter, which are underway.
