Man defrauded of Sh51,000 in online scam after paying for washing machine
A man in Nairobi is seeking to recover Sh 51, 000 he lost lost to a fraudster online scam after paying for a washing machine advertised on online marketing platform Pigiame.
Dr Ian Chessa transferred the cash to a paybill account provided by John Maingi who had advertised the equipment after they talked on the phone.
CONNED
During a phone conversation, Maingi promised Chessa that he would deliver the item to his house in Nyayo Estate in Embakasi upon payment. Dr Chessa effected payment through M-Pesa to the paybill account on May 16.
Dr Echesa waited for the delivery the whole day but never received the machine. Upon enquiry, he discovered he had been defrauded.
He reported the matter at Embakasi Police Station.
Detective corporal Lucy Nduati of Embakasi DCI offices said preliminary investigations established that the paybill number that Maingi used to defraud Dr Chessa is operated by the NCBA bank limited therefore the phone number is looped to an existing NCBA account.
COURT ORDERS
“The said Airtel subscriber number is suspected to be a fraudulent line and there could be transfers of cash monies received to other subscriber numbers or bank accounts,” Corporal Nduati stated in an affidavit filed at the Makadara Law Courts.
Cpl Nduati was seeking orders to enable her get access to NCBA bank accounts looped to the number used by Maingi, the certified account opening documents of the said account and particulars of the account holders.
The orders were granted by Senior Resident Magistrate Lewis Gatheru.
NCBA and Airtel were ordered to furnish corporal Nduati with particulars of Maingi’s mobile banking registration details including date and time the mobile banking was made, details of the mobile subscriber numbers registered at the bank and statement of the said bank accounts between May 1 and 31.
Cpl Nduati also obtained orders to be furnished with Airtel subscribers’ numbers of the Airtel money transfer beneficiaries of the stolen funds.