Patrick Muriuki, a Kenyan businessman, was among those scammed after he reportedly bought an iPhone at Ksh22,000 only to find out later that it was filled with mud.
Narrating the story on NTV's Wicked Edition with Dr Kingori, the businessman, together with his son, bought the phone and tested it and was convinced that it was a good second-hand phone, only for the seller to dupe them.
"My son and I had gone to buy an iPhone for Ksh22,000...second-hand. My friend, we were given mud. We even had the Sim card. They had a good one. We were in a hotel. Little did I know I was buying tea for a thief." Muriuki stated while laughing.
In this situation, the conmen had given him a phone, prior to the transaction and asked him to test it by adding his Sim card.
Later on, the conman discreetly switched the phone with another filled with mud.
"They switch the phones when you don't know. By the time I realised, the conman had already gone," added Muriuki.
Besides the disappointment of losing money, Muriuki felt embarrassed for easily falling for a scam.
"What annoys me more is the money I used and the embarrassment we felt after the ordeal," Muriuki recalled.
Muriuki is among many other Kenyans duped by the conmen selling fake second-hand items around the Nairobi CBD.
In the past, Kenyans recalled paying for and heading home with different items, from shoes to clothes.
Others were swindled by lottery players and scratch card scammers.
The National Police Service has conducted several crackdowns to flush out scammers in Nairobi CBD. It also urged victims to report cases to any nearest police stations.
