Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo fell victim to the sim card swap syndicate wreaking havoc in the country.
In a statement shared on Sunday, January 8, Nyaribo announced that criminals had taken over his personal phone number and used it to con his contacts out of their money.
He added that the perpetrators also cloned his WhatsApp Messenger. The county chief warned the public to ignore any messages sent from his line.
"I urge the public to ignore messages soliciting for cash from a number through text messages and WhatsApp that is associated with my cell phone number," Nyaribo stated.
He disclosed that he filed a report with the National Police Service (NPS) and that an investigation had been launched to unmask the criminals.
SIM swap involves the replacement of a sim card with or without the consent of the owner. Perpetrators use the pretext of service providers to obtain the personal details of victims.
Mobile service providers cautioned their customers against sharing information with unknown persons and report numbers used by suspects.
Other methods used to obtain personal information include using 'free vouchers' where online users are asked to share their details before redeeming them.
Nyaribo became the second politician whose SIM card has been swapped in as many months. In December 2022, a Member of Parliament lost Ksh941,000 to the Mulot syndicate.
The criminals renewed his line without his knowledge and used it to access his bank account. They emptied the account in less than six hours.
Police began investigations and arrested a ring leader of the group that also conned Central Organisation for Trade Unions (COTU) boss Francis Atwoli.
The suspect was released on Friday, January 6, on a cash bail of Ksh300,000.
