UoN Student Behind Multi-million Scam on Dead People Nabbed

DCI George Kinoti issuing a statement on Wednesday, December 2.
DCI George Kinoti issuing a statement on Wednesday, December 2.
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A University of Nairobi (UoN) student has been arrested in connection with a new wave of robberies targeting the dead. He was arrested alongside a lands broker in the city. 

In a statement, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) indicated that the two individuals identified as Eutycus Muguna Mutembei and Ayugu Eugene Shivachi were on Tuesday, February 16, charged with stealing Ksh2.8 million from the accounts of a dead person.

Mutembei is a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Statistics graduate from the University of Nairobi.

The two were also charged with stealing 39 SIM cards from different mobile phone subscribers.

The Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi as pictured on November 18, 2019
The Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi as pictured on November 18, 2019
Simon Kiragu
Kenyans.co.ke

An earlier exposé that was widely shared on social media platforms showed that the individuals assumed the identity of dead people to steal from the accounts of dead people.

SIM swap technique

In a successful SIM swap scam, the cybercriminals hijack the victim’s cell phone number and use it to gain access to his/her sensitive personal data and bank accounts through the Mobile Banking Apps available on Android and other smartphones.

Once they take control of the swapped SIM card, the crooks insert it in their phone, access the financial accounts and transfer all the funds to other scammed telephone numbers.

Once the cash is withdrawn, they switch off the stolen cards frustrating efforts by detectives to track them down.

In the theft case, the duo pleaded not guilty and was released a Ksh500,000 cash bail each. 

In the SIM swap case, the two, alongside two other suspects, were accused of stealing 39 SIM cards from different mobile phone subscribers.

They were also released on a cash bail of Ksh200,000 each.

"The four were arraigned in court following high-profile investigations by our detectives who unraveled a major SIM swap scam in which high-tech phone scammers hijack the victim’s cell phone number and use it to gain access to his/her sensitive personal data and bank accounts through the Mobile Banking Apps available on Android and other smartphones," read a statement DCI in a statement.

The agency also warned that the gang targets telephone lines of the elderly and those who have travelled abroad.

A court Gavel.
A court Gavel.
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