This archive report was first published on 15 December 2019.
It's been a tough year for Kenyans, and the temptation to take loans or fall for weight loss scams is high. But resist the temptation, as I did, and save your pocket.
Just the other day, I received a text message from a facility I'd never heard of, offering me Sh50,000 if I deposited my log book with them. It was a clear case of a dubious lender trying to entice me into a loan I couldn't afford.
But it's not just lenders who are on the prowl. There are also enterprising Kenyans selling weight loss schemes, promising to help you lose up to 20 kilos by Christmas. I received an unsolicited SMS with a link to a website that claimed to offer a miracle weight loss remedy.
The remedy, which cost Sh299, was a manual listing 'spices, herbs, plants and liquids you can mix right in your own kitchen.' It claimed to burn belly fat, increase metabolism, and even get rid of small tumours and decaying cells in your body.
But I wasn't fooled. I knew that there are no shortcuts to permanent weight loss, and I wasn't about to fall for a scam. So I clicked on the link, and what I found was a bunch of empty promises and a hefty price tag.
So here's my unsolicited advice: resist the temptation to spend, especially during the holiday season. Avoid the food samples in supermarkets, and don't fall for discount offers on clothes. They're just ways to part you from your hard-earned cash.
Take it from me, resist the temptation, and you'll thank me in January 2020.
