This archive report was first published on 6 June 2020.
On June 6, 2020, a suspected procurement racket was exposed after detectives launched an investigation into a fake tender advertisement that impersonated the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The scammers set up an email address with a domain name resembling that of the foundation and asked suppliers to bid for tenders to supply fast-moving consumer goods.
They claimed to be a regional office of the charity run by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, and asked companies interested to pay Sh4,100 as tender fees.
The Nation Media Group reported the matter to the authorities after the foundation clarified that it has no regional office in Nairobi.
The fraudsters transacted online while posing as the charity's regional officials, but their scheme was foiled when Safaricom blocked a till number they attempted to use for their scam, and NCBA Bank froze an account listed as an alternative deposit point for interested bidders.
Detectives have asked members of the public to report any information on the attempted fraud or its architects to the nearest police station as they look to crack the case and prosecute suspects.
