- The fraudsters pose as suitors living abroad and promise the ladies to give them a good life abroad
- They lie about having sent expensive gifts and their counterparts call asking for clearance fees
Image: NEEDPIX
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has raised an alarm over increased cases young women being duped by ‘online’ suitors.
The DCI on their social media platforms cautioned women to be wary of Internet fraudsters who prey on them with promises living abroad, but end up being stealing from them.
In their tweet, DCI said their counterparts based at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport are astounded by the rising cases of young ladies who come to pick none existent gifts.
“The ladies throng the country’s international gateway, apparently to collect gifts that have ostensibly been sent by their online suitors,” read part of the tweet.
“However, upon arrival, they are shocked to realise that they have been conned and no such packages exist”.
In a recent incident, a 28-year-old lady was duped Sh52,000 as clearance fees to collect a non-existent gift.
The DCI said the unnamed lady met a man online who claimed to be living in Britain. After days of communicating on the internet, the man told the lady that as proof of his undying affection, he had sent her some gold necklaces and other assorted jewellery.
“She later received a call from a man who identified himself as a customs agent based at JKIA saying they had received her shipment from abroad,” the DCI noted.
“She was asked to pay the landing fee for the package and facilitate its clearance at a total cost of Sh52,000 before she could collect it. However, upon arrival at the airport, the supposed agent’s phone, went answered. ”
Detectives based at the airport have in recent months received many such reports where young ladies have lost money to fraudsters, with preliminary investigations indicating that the suspects mainly operate from Kisumu and Kiambu.
According to the DCI, the fraudsters who masquerade as successful businessmen with their social media timelines teeming with photos of their supposed flashy lifestyles, prey on young ladies whom they promise blissful lives abroad and offer to send them expensive gifts to demonstrate their seriousness.
“While we work round the clock to bring the suspects to book, we wish to caution young ladies to be wary of such fraudsters who may end up tricking them into more dangerous situations, some of which may cost them their lives,” cautioned the DCI.
-Edited by Skanyara