It has emerged that each day inmates are brainstorming better ways to steal more money from Kenyans.
Forget the fake messages followed by calls to unsuspecting mobile phone users seeking refunds. These cons have employed sophisticated scams that can earn them Ksh80,000 to Ksh370,000 a day.
According to The Star, these men carry on their life of crime and they're abetted by the very people who should put a stop to their business.
67-year-old ex-con James Kuria (not his real name), who was released from prison in November 2018, revealed to the publication that his prefered targets were househelps or watchmen.
“It was easy for us to con someone by telling them they won a cash prize. The huge amounts mentioned confuse the individual into believing the trick,” Kuria disclosed.
His gang then ran the victim through a complicated process that involved giving their PIN. Once they received the authorisation code and with the phone number of the customer, they immediately sent the details to their contacts who are waiting around withdrawal shops and ATM machines ready to withdraw.
After two years of robbing innocent Kenyans, he boasts of adding two liquor stores in coordination with his wife.
Another inmate, James Njehia (not his real name) made Ksh36,000 on a 'good day'. Njehia had outside informers who did research on wealthy people by following them around.
He would then call his victims and threaten them by giving detailed information about how they were dressed, where they were going and so on. Most terrified targets would immediately send them money without thinking twice.
Njehia would then pick a new line and repeat the process. The millions he made in prison has built his current home in Ruai.
Another inmate Ken Kartello (not his real name) revealed he would google good houses on the internet and post them at a much cheaper price.
His main targets were students seeking bed-sitters and one-bedroom houses. Fearing that someone else could identify the house and pay for it overnight, they rushed to send a small booking fee while others paid the full amount.
"Most young people have a small budget but want to live in high-end places like Westlands, Kilimani, Kileleshwa and Lavington," he divulged.
He further disclosed that he sold cars, and once conned a woman of Ksh700,000.
