This archive report was first published on 30 November 2019.
On a typical day in Nairobi, a city where corruption is rampant, a young businesswoman, Sylvia Muthoni, fell prey to a cunning con artist. It was November 30, 2019, and Sylvia, then 32, had just finished college and was on her first job. Her salary was overdue, and she had to visit an automated teller machine to check her balance at National Bank.
As she stood in front of the ATM, a handsome man in a blue suit approached her, holding a brown envelope. He claimed it contained Sh 40,000 and suggested they share it, but Sylvia was skeptical. She proposed taking the money to the police, but the man refused, saying he would keep it if she wasn't interested.
Despite her initial reservations, Sylvia followed the man to Jevanjee Gardens, where he instructed her to go to the toilet and divide the money. However, there was a catch – she had to leave him with a valuable item. She handed over her handbag and rushed into the public toilets, only to find a Sh 50 note and newspaper cuttings inside the envelope.
Realizing she had been conned, Sylvia rushed outside to confront the man, but he had disappeared. She later learned that she was the fourth victim of the day, and the nearby guards informed her that the con artist was targeting the poor and vulnerable.
