The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is warning members of the public against falling prey to online scammers keen to reap where they have not sown.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 18, the directorate raised an alarm over phone scammers hacking into personal accounts with the intention of obtaining money by false pretence.
According to the DCI, the fraudsters hack into people’s phones and then send random messages to friends and relatives asking for money.
“Forget about the other Tuesday and let’s talk about the Terrific one. So, scammers are recently hacking people’s accounts then send random messages to friends and relatives asking for money,” DCI said.
DCI advises members of the public to always verify money requests before taking any action.
“If your person sends that random text asking for pizza 🍕 money today, hit their dial to confirm you are sending money to the legit one,” the directorate added.
Forget about the other Tuesday and let's talk about the Terrific one. So, scammers are recently hacking people's accounts then send random messages to friends and relatives asking for money. If your person sends that random text asking for pizza 🍕 money today, hit their dial to pic.twitter.com/n5nxKSc8F7
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) April 18, 2023
Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo fell victim to the scam in January after the fraudsters cloned his phone.
The governor said the scammers were soliciting money from his contacts through SMS and WhatsApp messages and cautioned members of the public against falling prey to the con game.
“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 warned.
“The National Police Service is currently investigating a case of sim swapping/cloning.
Please let’s stand advised accordingly,” he added.
