Kangemi man charged with M-Pesa fraud
A man who allegedly conspired with fraudsters claiming to be Safaricom staffers to steal from an Mpesa shop attendant has been charged with conspiracy and theft.
At Kibera law courts, George Kuria Tanji is accused of stealing Sh91, 557 from the Mpesa account of Festus Peter on March 21 this year at Bata area in Kangemi in Nairobi.
Tanji is accused of colluding with others at large to steal from Peter’s account.
The suspect went to the complainant’s shop on March 21 while purportedly speaking to Safaricom customer care staffer and told Peter that he wanted help to correct an anomaly in his Mpesa account.
He allegedly handed over the phone to Peter to receive instructions on how to help him before disappearing, leaving the complainant talking to the caller.
Peter spoke to the caller after he was convinced they were Mpesa customer care officials.
The caller allegedly threatened to switch off Peter’s Mpesa account over operational irregularity.
He deposited additional money to his float and eventually lost the entire amount after following instructions from the fraudster to make certain transactions.
Tanji was arrested after returning to Peter’s shop to collect his phone.
The suspect denied the charges before senior resident magistrate Charles Mwaniki.
He was released on a bond of Sh300, 000 and an alternative cash bail of Sh100, 000. The case will be mentioned on May 3.