Nairobi: Businesswoman Conned KSh 2.5m by Fraudsters Posing as Church Employees

• The city woman advertised her household items on social media, inviting prospective buyers
• Among those who expressed interest, are fraudsters who pretended to be employees of the Christ Is The Answer Ministries (CITAM) church
• They later swindled her KSh 2.5 million after issuing the businesswoman with fake cheques

A Nairobi-based businesswoman has become the latest victim of fraudsters who con people on social media.

The woman is said to have posted house items worth KSh 2.5 million on Facebook inviting prospective buyers.

The victim later received a call from one of the fraudsters who claimed to be a procurement officer at Christ Is The Answer Ministries (CITAM) church who said the church was interested in the items.

“We posted some items on Facebook because we thought that we were not using them and so we wanted to get rid of them coz they were practically new… after a few days, we got a response from somebody by the name Maurice Otieno…he said he works with CITAM.

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He told us he was a procurement officer, so he told us to send him a price list which we did via WhatsApp and then he selected items which amounted to Ksh2.5 million,” the victim said as reported by Citizen.

The fraudsters are said to have sent two ladies to inspect the items to ensure they conform to the procurement standards of the church.

Victim was issued with three cheques

After inspection, a deal was made between the suspects and the victim, where they agreed to pay her with three banker’s cheques amounting to KSh 850,000.

“He told me can we wire them. I said no. He said what about a banker’s cheque. I said a banker’s cheque..yeah…that is fine,” she narrated.

The woman later realised that she had been duped after the cheques failed to clear. The bank teller informed her that the cheques had been cancelled by the owner.

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“When I checked the ATM, there was no money at all so I went back to the bank..the same guy I was dealing with the previous day..he said no no. those cheques must have gone through..when he checked, he saw they had been cancelled … that the owner withdrew,” she stated.

David Mutai arrested in Kericho

Meanwhile, the mastermind of the infamous Mulot SIM swap syndicate David Mutai alias Hillary Langat Matindwet was arrested in Kericho.

DCI said Mutai, who has been on the run was arrested in Kericho town after members of the public spotted him at Kericho Kenya Commercial Bank.

“The jailbird who has been on the run for the past few days has been arrested by officers on bank duties at the Kericho Kenya Commercial Bank after members of the public spotted him in the town and went after him,” said DCI on Friday, December 30.

Source: TUKO.co.ke