This archive report was first published on 14 December 2019.
December 14, 2019
Kenyan online shoppers are being warned against falling prey to scammers who are using social media platforms to swindle them out of their hard-earned cash.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), online fraud schemes have become rampant, with tech-savvy and organized criminal enterprises involved.
One such scam involves fraudsters posing as service providers of telecommunication companies, calling unsuspecting customers and informing them that their number has been registered twice.
The caller will then ask the customer to read out the SMS that is sent from Safaricom's official number, which contains a code that the cons can use to access the customer's details and swindle them of money.
Another scam involves fraudsters posing as vendors on social media platforms, selling goods at affordable prices and asking customers to pay up front.
However, once the customer has paid, the vendor disappears, leaving the customer with nothing.
DCI has cautioned the public against engaging in online transactions with companies, agencies, or individuals they have no credible information about.
Mobile service providers have also cautioned customers against disclosing their PIN, as scammers use non-technical methods, or social engineering, to trick unsuspecting people into breaking normal security procedures.
To beat the cons, Safaricom is pushing for a biometric system dubbed Jitambulishe that identifies a customer by their voice.
Customers are also advised to report fraudulent cases free of charge through SMS to 333, including the telephone number which initiated the fraudulent request.
