Police arrest two suspects linked to M-Pesa fraud in Meru

The two were posing as Safaricom agents

In Summary
  • They are being held at Itabua Police Station as investigation continues.

  • Detectives are also hunting for their accomplices.

STAR ILLUSTRATION
STAR ILLUSTRATION

Officers from the DCI have arrested two suspects in Meru said to be behind a spate of MPesa fraud in the region.

In a significant breakthrough, the two aged 32 and 24, whom detectives term notorious were arrested in the Ngariama area.

The pursuit and subsequent apprehension were launched after intelligence leads pointed to a con double, who had on January 18, 2023, moved their ‘business’ to Kithimu trading centre, police say.

Posing as Safaricom agents, they are said to be involved in card swiping and eventual theft of huge sums of money from unsuspecting victims.

According to police, the suspects were nabbed after coning a 49-year-old male Mpesa operator by convincing him that they would replace his till number “and in the process obtained his confidential details”.

“Using his details, they installed a Safaricom App in their mobile phone and withdrew Sh24,000 from the till, thereafter beetling off,” police say.

They are now being held at Itabua Police Station as investigation continues with detectives hunting for more of their accomplices.

The County DCI head has now cautioned Mpesa operators and other businesspersons of numerous fraudsters roaming in the region pretending to be agents of reputable companies.

The officer has also sent a warning to the perpetrators, urging them to mend their ways before the law catches up with them.

Safaricom has classified MPesa fraud as an unlawful act whereby one mischievously attempts to withdraw funds from another individual’s bank account via MPesa.

To avoid falling victim, the telco has advised its customers to follow the ATM withdrawal instructions within the Safaricom app.

"Do not divulge any other information such as one-time passcodes, ATM withdrawal codes, authentication codes," it says.


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