Fake Facebook car dealer charged with Sh500, 000 fraud
A fake motor vehicles dealer who advertised non-existent cars on Facebook and allegedly conned an unsuspecting buyer in a fake deal was charged with conspiracy to defraud contrary to section 317 of the penal code.
Geoffrey Omboga Matara was charged with colluding with others at large to advertise on their Facebook account, falsely pretending that they were carrying out a genuine business as car dealers at the Ridgeways area within Starehe sub-county in Nairobi.
They allegedly purported that they were selling motor vehicle KDK 936W – a Nissan Note silver in colour to whoever would remit to them a sum of Sh500, 000.
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Mr Matara was also charged with the offence of obtaining money by false pretenses contrary to section 313 of the penal code where he is accused of defrauding Samuel Makinya of Sh500, 000 within Nairobi Central Business District while falsely pretending that he was selling him a motor vehicle.
Mr Matara is accused of committing the offence jointly with others at large where they conned Mr Makinya of the cash between January 5 and January 10 this year while purporting they were selling a motor vehicle KDK 936W to him, knowing the same was false.
Mr Makinya was interested in buying a motor vehicle that was being sold by Al Mansoor Motors as advertised on Facebook.
He was contacted by a caller who linked him with Mr Matara purported to be the one selling the car.
Mr Makinya visited the yard on January 4th with a friend to inspect the car. He agreed to pay Sh650,000 for the car purchase the following day.
On January 5th, he signed a car sale agreement that was drafted and commissioned by an advocate in presence of Mr Matara.
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Mr Makinya then transferred Sh250, 000 to a paybill number. On January 9th, he transferred Sh200,000 through the said paybill and Sh50,000 the next day, making the total Sh500, 000.
He was then called to visit a garage opposite the Industrial Area police station to check on the progress of the vehicle being serviced.
Mr Makinya visited the garage and the car was nowhere to be found. He contacted the firm and was directed to a showroom where he was informed the car had not been sold.
He returned to the lawyer who dismissed him. The lawyer said he drafted the sale agreement for his client and the client had not complained.
Mr Makinya reported the matter at the Muthaiga police station, and Mr Matara was arrested on April 4 after investigations. The suspect denied the charges before Principal Magistrate Monica Kivuti of Makadara Law Courts.
He was released on a cash bail of Sh300, 000. The case will be mentioned on May 5 before the hearing starts on September 1 this year.
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