Cybercrime Syndicate: How Nigerian Men Are Scamming Kenyan Women In A Romantic Fraud Scheme

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Friday conducted a swop that nubbed nineteen Nigerian citizens residing in Umoja, Kasarani and Roysambu Estates within Nairobi for engaging in electronic fraud targeting Kenyans.

To many who know the operations of these guys, this is a no shocker, Nigerians like Chinese nationals have flooded the country, they’re all over Eastlands, it is so real that Roysambu is being referred to as Nigeria ndogo given the huge number of them residing there.

Most of these people don’t have any known jobs but are all over Nairobi high end clubs living lavishly but the unsaid truth is mostly they make their money through Internet fraud, gold scamming, drug trafficking and so many other fraud schemes. This is the only unmentioned fact.

Arrested suspect

In this particular case, the fraudster  start by befriending you on social media(Facebook) they largely target the women most of whom are fascinated and lose their breath on the mention and sight of a Nigerian man and once you accept the friend request they initiate a friendly chat that promises the victim goodies to be sent through DHL at the airport. Our winds love goodies so it makes them easier targets.

The following day a call will be made and someone will pretend to be an attendant at the DHL office, they’ll even attach photos of said gift wrapped showing the DHL logo on the tape. They will tell the victim to pay clearance fees for the same parcel they claim to have sent you.

Immediately you send the money through Mpesa another call is made requesting for some more money for other documentation and taxes. After paying the dues demanded, your calls demanding for your parcel will not be picked. That’s the time you realize that you have been conned. This is therefore to warn members of the general public against such fraudsters.

Like many other conmen, their schemes keep mutating and one can never know how they’ll be hit. Cybercrime remains one of challenges Kenya’s challenges. In East Africa, Kenya recorded the highest losses $171 million to cyber criminals. Tanzania lost $85 million while Ugandan companies lost $35 million. Over one-third of organisations that experienced a breach in 2016 reported substantial customer, opportunity and revenue loss of more than 20 percent, this according to Cisco 2017 Annual Cybersecurity Report.

Kenyan bank accounts are more prone than ever to cybercrime owing to the growing use and adoption at risk. This statement has been evidenced by statistics present in the recent Kenya Cybersecurity Report , published by Serianu Limited and which asserts that Kenya lost about $175million last year.

Moreover, the Report managed to establish that cybercriminals are deliberately targeting the Kenyan digital economy with the intention of wreaking havoc and making away with millions. Essentially, in terms of cyber resilience, the Kenyan digital economy can be likened to a slow, plump gazelle stumbling through the “cyber-savannah” in the full view of agile, informed and hungry cyber-predators keen to sink their teeth into their sumptuous prize.

A question hangs over the surging influx of not just Nigerian nationals in Kenya but many immigrants which points at a loophole in the immigration that’s allowing all Yahoo! boys into Nairobi. Back home the Internet scamming is well known now they’re transferring their activities to Kenya.

One of the 19 arrested suspects.

You’ll find them living in dozens in bed sitters. They’re smooth with women and Nairobi women lose their cool wen it comes to Naija men, with their illusory lives, they give these women the impression of being wealthy while the truth always awaits them. women are counting losses in silence this side of Sahara.

With their charming nature, they’ve targeted Nairobi women desperate for love and not only used them for shelter but scammed them of millions in the my cargo is coming loan me clearance money and many other schemes they engage. While it’s not my work to tell our women who to date and not, do a little bit of background check on these men before you end up being arrested for being a beneficiary of criminal proceeds and most cases get entangled in a drug trafficking racketeering. They promise them heaven while themselves are hell residents.

A serious vetting of immigrants is needed in this country since a good number are illegally living in Kenya and Thanks to corruption, they keep having their ways and they keep disrupting our economies. Kenya is exporting best minds to the world yet importing scammers. Most of these guys come on s tourist visa and manage to buy their ways around.  If there’s a place that SANY need to drive to next then it’s Roysambu and generally the illegal immigrants buildings.