How crooks lure mobile phone users through fake calls and text messages

The aim is to disable connectivity in some of the notorious prisons in the country such as Kamiti.

“We wish to assure our customers that the M-Pesa system remains robust and firewalled against the risk of revenue loss as a result of complicity, systemic fraud or revenue leakage,” Mr Watia says.

Through the mobile money transfer services, criminals have also found a way of demanding money, especially ransom.

The Flying Squad police unit is currently investigating a case in which close to Sh1 million was remitted to people who kidnapped a five-year-old girl in Nairobi’s Umoja estate on November 26 last year.

Wrong number

Kenyans are also losing millions of shillings when they send money to the wrong people by mistake.

For example, getting just one digit wrong can see one’s money land in the wrong hands.

One such case involved Mr Erick Magioki, whose Sh50,000 was loaded to the wrong number by an agent.

The money was finally withdrawn by somebody else and an attempt to recover it has been fruitless.

Police are still looking for the person, who received the money and withdrew it.

Mr Watia says that since Safaricom is not an investigating authority, customers should report to the police suspected fraud cases.

“Whenever we are called upon by competent and constitutionally-recognised investigating authorities, Safaricom has always been at the forefront in actively partnering with them to fight this vice,” he explains.

He says that through the company’s  co-operation with the police, a number of crimes had been resolved and the perpetrators prosecuted while others had been prevented before being executed.

Identity documents

Detectives also found out that some M-Pesa agents and security guards of buildings, where visitors must leave behind their identity cards before gaining access, were part of group defrauding people since they can access both the victim’s names and ID card number.

Other people are conned simply because they do not check the numbers used to call them.

For instance, one of the victims recently got a message indicating that she had wrongfully received Sh15,000 from somebody who wanted the money back.

But when she checked her balance she discovered she only had Sh500 in her account.