Desperate job seekers in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, fell into the trap orchestrated by a man impersonating the Chief Executive Officer of the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The suspect, who was arraigned in court in November 2022, was purported to have scammed his victims with two phones around October 13.
According to the victims, the man used the phones to interchange his voice and also used several Facebook and WhatsApp accounts to convenience the jobseekers that he would offer them jobs at the hospital.
He was also reported to have downloaded and sent the CEO's photos after victims demanded proof of his identity.
Police officials in the area started tracking him down after several fraud cases were reported by jobseekers.
Among the complainants was one that was filed by the CEO, whose identity was stolen.
"It is claimed that he calls his victims and asks them to talk to his assistant but changes his voice," Isaac Kosgey, a police officer at the Naiberi Police Station, stated.
The unsuspecting jobseekers would then be interviewed over the phone by the 'personal assistant' before they were asked to send their certificates and other relevant documents.
Additionally, the suspect was accused of demanding clearance certificates from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
"The suspect was arrested at Annex Estate following a tip from complainants," the lead detective added.
His case was scheduled for mention on November 28 after he pleaded not guilty in court.
As Kenyans continue to decry the alarming unemployment rate, desperate and gullible job seekers keep falling for tricks scammers adopt.
One of the common tricks is requiring jobseekers to pay for interviews and other necessary documents before securing jobs.
In a survey conducted by AFP in July 2022, victims reported similar patterns in job postings. From short deadlines, high salaries, and hyperlinks leading to an external website that requested personal information.
