Kenyan Most Common Conmen Tricks [Revealed]

If you have lived in Kenya, you already know some of the Kenyan conmen tricks usually performed face to face. Sadly, Kenyan con artists keep upgrading their skills.

Unfortunately, you no longer have to be in their presence for their tricks to work. They can trick you into giving them money from anywhere in the country.

All the conmen need is a mobile phone and some airtime, and then they can reach you. They will either call you, message you or do both. Once you respond, they are in business.

Today, you will learn five ways Kenyan con artists can steal your money without ever meeting you.

Top 4 Kenyan Conmen Tricks

1. Double Registered Phone Number

You usually receive a phone call from a conman posing as a Safaricom customer care agent. They say, “Your phone number has been registered to two people. We need to verify who is the rightful owner of this number.”

You have two options: to cooperate or to resist.

Of course, you don’t want to lose your number. So you cooperate. The conman asks for your name, ID number, Sim card PIN, and Mpesa PIN. Immediately you give the requested details; your line stops working. They quickly withdraw all the cash in your Mpesa account. The only way to stop them is to call the valid Safaricom customer care number(100) and block your account immediately.

If you resist, the con man threatens to close down your line. Spoiler alert, they can’t. It’s one of the Kenyan conmen tricks to scare you into sharing your details. You need to report the con man by sending the number to 555.

2. High Paying Job Offers

You receive a message containing a highly coveted job opportunity in either KDF, UN, or an NGO.

Since you are always looking for better income opportunities, you call the provided number. The conman assures you that the job opportunity is still available. But, only a few positions are remaining, and the only way to reserve a spot is by paying a deposit.

Since you don’t want to miss this lucrative opportunity, you pay the deposit. You don’t realize that this is another one of the Kenyan conmen tricks. Once you pay the deposit, it’s game over. They will try to trick you into sending more money.

If the conman realizes that you know it’s a scam, they insult you and block your number.

3. Fake Mpesa Message

You see a message notification confirming you have received a large amount of money.

Before you click the notification to read the message, you receive a call from an unknown number.

The caller informs you that they have sent some money, meant to pay a hospital bill, to your Mpesa account. They kindly request that you should return the money.

If you agree to send back the money, they hang up the phone. Being a compassionate person, you send the money back. Only to discover you have sent your own money.

If you sound hesitant during the call, the conman pretends to make a deal with you. They request that you keep half of the money they sent you and send the rest. You figure out that this is a good deal and send the money as agreed. You only discover at a later time that you have sent your own money.

If you resist returning the money, they start threatening you. Some of the threats include forceful recruitment to organizations like Illuminati. Please don’t send any money to them since they never sent you money in the first place. They want to use fear to force you to do what they want. Fear is one of the tools that enable many Kenyan conmen tricks to work.

However, if you check the message keenly, you will realize that you never received any money. The conmen sent you a standard message disguised to look like a Mpesa message.

4. Fake Boarding School Child Scam

A scammer posing as a teacher sends you a message that your child needs some extra pocket money. If you have a child in boarding school, you need to verify the source of the phone message.

Call the number to verify if the message came from your child. Insist that you want to speak to your child before sending the money. No matter how urgently your child needs the money, wait until you talk to your child. You have just evaded another Kenyan conmen trick.

Don’t bother using personal details questions about your child to identify con artists. They can get some of this information online using social media. So always be aware.

Conclusion

Con artists are always looking for their next victim. It is your responsibility to learn all the Kenyan conmen tricks and stay ahead of them. You should always stay alert so that you and your loved ones don’t fall prey to any of their schemes.