Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have uncovered information on how three guys were identified as the brains behind a massive con game in which unwary Kenyans were duped out of millions of dollars via fraudulent internet stores.
Dickson Magembe, Dionicious Omonyi, and Derrick Kodek were discovered to have run a false Facebook account pretending to be the well-known Jumia Shopping shop, the DCI said on Monday.
After receiving numerous complaints from members of the public, the investigative branch opened an investigation.
DCI found that the trio had devised a cunning strategy for drawing online customers to their fake page by offering steep discounts during the holiday season.
"The three ran a promotion over the Christmas and New Year period offering discounts of up to 40% for various household goods, attracting unsuspecting shoppers in droves," DCI wrote on Twitter.
"Through a fake Facebook page called "Jumia Shopping."
The three also launched an M-Pesa till number where clients could make payments and get an invoice over WhatsApp, promising a fake free delivery within 24 hours, according to preliminary investigations.
The phone numbers associated with the bogus pages would then ring once the payment was made. A victim of the fraud network informed DCI.
A victim in Mukothima's Tharaka North Sub County, who paid Sh95,000 for a 7-seater reclining seat and a coffee table, was the victim of this, according to DCI.
This follows the announcement of a 40% discount on recliner chairs and other home products on the fictitious Facebook page.
Tens of additional Kenyans fell for the trap hook, line, and sinker after hastily placing their orders, only to be utterly let do afterward because they thought the offers were too good to pass up.
The first suspect, a third-year student at Kisii University, was taken into custody on Sunday in Kisii, where 22 SIM cards allegedly used in the scam were also found.
The culprit was apprehended in Kisii town's Canaan neighborhood and then led investigators to his two other accomplices in Ruiru, Kiambu County, according to DCI.
According to the police, the group made millions of shillings while they were in business.
In the meantime, a search has been started for the group's alleged leader, who is still roaming freely.
Swarzzenegar Otete, the fraud's mastermind, is a maestro of information technology who is presently on the run from investigators who are putting pressure on him to avail himself.
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