The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has uncovered a sophisticated online scam where individuals are creating fraudulent social media accounts and impersonating senior government officials to defraud unsuspecting Kenyans.
The DCI's revelations came after two suspects were charged at the Kahawa Law Courts for allegedly operating fake accounts, including one purporting to represent Principal Secretary for Interior Raymond Omollo.
According to the DCI, these fake profiles are used to lure victims into giving up money or personal information under false pretences by tech-savvy individuals.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 15, the DCI revealed that unscrupulous individuals start their fraudulent activities by creating seemingly legitimate accounts that strongly resemble those of high-ranking government officials.
Once the account is set up, their next step is reaching out to unsuspecting Kenyans with a series of false promises ranging from job opportunities to government tenders. The fake state officials ask for monetary favours in return.
"A varsity student and his accomplice were arrested at the Tuuti and Namachanja areas of Bungoma County, respectively," the DCI revealed.
The DCI added, "The investigation established one suspect has been opening numerous accounts, which he then sells to other persons after training them on how to run the scamming venture. In the case presented in court, one suspect has been impersonating the PS Interior, Dr Raymond Omollo."
More alarmingly, authorities further revealed that not only did the two suspects engage in cybercrimes, but they also formed part of a large syndicate comprising trainees who take over numerous false accounts and sell them to other individuals, inevitably expanding the scheme.
The two suspects' activities were in violation of Section 28 of the Computer Misuse Act, which criminalises the unauthorised registration and creation of domain names, social media handles, and other accounts that are similar to trademarks, business names, or names of renowned individuals.
The two suspects were released on a cash bail of Ksh35,000 each, and their case is set to be heard again on April 28.
The latest development came days after the DCI arrested a land fraudster suspected of conning a woman out of Ksh12 million on a fake land deal.
In a statement, the DCI stated that the 44-year-old was arrested after he sold an already-owned piece of land in the Garissa municipality to the unsuspecting woman. The suspect was nabbed by Kilimani detectives after records from the Garissa Lands Registry revealed a different owner for the piece of land.
