Police Arrest Six Mpesa Fraudsters

Police in Nakuru town have arrested six suspects believed to be part of a group behind Mpesa fraud.

Police say the six include a 22-year-old woman who operates an Mpesa shop in Nakuru's Bondeni estate and who is suspected to be the leader of the syndicate.

The fraudsters allegedly send random messages disguised as original Mpesa transaction texts to several subscribers and later steal from while purporting to reverse the "wrong" transactions. Police say the suspects also carry out fraudulent Sim cards swaps. 

“The suspect is aiding the police to unearth operations of the criminal gang that has been a major worry for M-Pesa users who have fallen victim,” says Nakuru County Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha.

Sh130,300, 40 IDs belonging to different Kenyans and several MPesa transaction record books were recovered during the arrest.

The 22-year-old woman was also found with a notebook containing information of several individuals including their names, dates of birth and their place of residence.

“It is yet to be established how and where the woman got identification cards that were found in her shop. We believe it has been easier for her to convince individuals because of having their full details,” adds Nkanatha.

Nakuru OCPD Samuel Obara says officers trailed the woman after receiving information from an operator.

“We trailed the woman after receiving a complaint from an operator. We are holding her in cells to help us understand more on the operation of the illegal business,” says Obara.