Fake Jumia Facebook Account: 3 ARRESTED
How Three Men Stole Millions From Kenyans Using a Fake Jumia Facebook Account
Dickson Magembe, Dionicious Omonyi, and Derrick Kodek were discovered operating a bogus Facebook account posing as the popular Jumia Shopping store.
According to a victim of the fraud syndicate, the phone numbers attached to the fake pages would then go off after payment was completed.
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Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have revealed how three men were discovered to be the masterminds behind a massive con game in which unsuspecting Kenyans were duped out of millions of dollars through bogus online shops.
Dickson Magembe, Dionicious Omonyi, and Derrick Kodek were found to have operated a fictitious Facebook account purporting to be the popular Jumia Shopping store, according to a report released by the DCI on Monday.
Following a slew of complaints from members of the public, the DCI launched an investigation into the matter and discovered that the trio had devised an ingenious way of attracting online shoppers to their fake page by offering steep discounts during the holiday season.
“Through a fake Facebook page called ‘Jumia Shopping,’ the three ran a promotion over the Christmas and New Year holidays offering discounts of up to 40% off various household goods, attracting unsuspecting shoppers in droves,” DCI wrote on Twitter.
Preliminary investigations also revealed that the three had introduced an M-Pesa till number through which customers would make payments and then receive an invoice via WhatsApp promising free delivery within 24 hours.
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The phone numbers attached to the fake pages would then go off after payment was completed, according to a victim of the fraud syndicate.
“This happened to a victim in Mukothima, Tharaka North Sub County, who paid Sh95,000 for a 7-seater recliner and a coffee table,” DCI explained.
“This follows an announcement on the fake Facebook page of a 40% discount on recliner seats and other household items. Tens of other Kenyans who saw the deals as too good to pass up fell for the trap hook line and sinker, hurriedly placing orders only to be thoroughly disappointed later.”
The first suspect, a third-year Kisii University student, was apprehended on Sunday in Kisii, where 22 sim cards believed to have been used in the fraudulent business were recovered.
“The suspect was apprehended in Kisii town’s Canaan area and later led detectives to his two other accomplices in Ruiru, Kiambu county,” the DCI said.
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Police believe the trio made millions of shillings during their operation.
Meanwhile, a manhunt has been launched for the group’s suspected leader, who is still at large.
“The mastermind of the fraud, Swarzzenegar Otete, an Information Technology wizard, is currently on the run, with sleuths breathing down his neck before apprehending him.”
