• Latest
  • All
  • How To
SIM Card

Scam Artists Remotely Swapping SIM Cards to Defraud Kenyans

July 17, 2018
Infinix Note 50 Pro x Java House Collab

Infinix Teams Up with Java House to Launch Note 50 Pro Series

July 4, 2025
Instagram threads

Instagram Threads Rolls Out Direct Messaging in Major Feature Update

July 4, 2025
Infinix Hot 60i Pre-order

Infinix Hot 60i Now Available for Pre-Order in Kenya

July 4, 2025
Windows

Microsoft’s Windows Usage Slumps as Macs, Linux, and Mobile Take Over

July 4, 2025
DHgate Tablet Cases deals
Microsoft

Microsoft Slashes 9,100 Jobs in Biggest Layoffs Since 2023

July 4, 2025
NASA

NASA Brings Space Missions to Netflix at No Extra Cost

July 3, 2025
ios 26-facetime

iOS 26 May Pause Video if You Start Undressing on FaceTime

July 3, 2025
apple iphone foldable

Apple Begins Testing Its First Foldable iPhone

July 3, 2025
Mobile Data

Kenya Draws More Tourists as Mobile Data Roaming Soars

July 3, 2025
Axian Telecom Considers Full Acquisition of Jumia

Axian Telecom Is Plotting a Full Buyout of Jumia

July 3, 2025
Cable TV

Kenya’s Cable TV Market Rebounds with 31.5% Growth

July 3, 2025
Premier League and Microsoft Announce Strategic AI Partnership for Enhanced Fan Engagement

Football Meets AI as Microsoft Joins Forces with the EPL

July 3, 2025
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
No Result
View All Result

Scam Artists Remotely Swapping SIM Cards to Defraud Kenyans

Saruni Maina by Saruni Maina
July 17, 2018
in News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
264
9
SIM Card

SIM CardThere’s nothing as scary as realizing that you are under attack and there’s really nothing you can do about it, this emotional state and sense of helplessness is heightened when it’s something you do not understand completely.

A recent event narrated by a tweep has left many Kenyans in a panic mode, some even opting to disable mobile money and mobile banking services or switch service providers after a number of people told stories of how they have lost thousands of shillings to fraudsters through unauthorized SIM swaps.

Sammy (@sammy_ynwa) threaded his experience on Twitter, “I am a Safaricom customer with Tel No. 07213***73. I am a victim of a scam that happened to me yesterday. I got a call and I quickly realised that this is one of the cons and I disconnected the call without sharing any information…” he starts.

He then explains that immediately after disconnecting from the call, he got an SMS notification from Safaricom alerting him that they had received a SIM swap request on his number, a task he claims he did not initiate. “Since I was not aware of any sim swap, I contacted @SafaricomPLC via Twitter and they assured me that my line was safe,” he narrates. From here, things get a little scarier…

“I then got several SMSs from Safaricom confirming what my PUK number is. I had not sent any requests to know my PUK. Happening concurrently, my line was topped up with Ksh 5. I informed Safaricom of this, but they were confident that my line was safe… In the evening at 7:25pm, I got another SMS telling me my number is being swapped. I immediately contacted @Safaricom_Care. As I was engaging them on Twitter, my line went dead. I called them immediately to have the line blocked which they did.”

The biggest questions Sammy has is how a SIM swap was initiated without him being physically present at a Safaricom Customer Care Center and answering questions on his recent transactions as is usually the case for such an operation.

Such Cases Date Back to Two Years Ago

Following this thread, a number of Kenyans came out that either they or someone close to them has been a victim of the SIM swap heist. “It happened to me 2 years ago. I called Safaricom customer care immediately after I noticed my line was dead. However, the person who swapped my line was able to borrow money from Mshwari. I had to repay the 4k,” tweeted @PWamugunda

“My friend lost KShs. 1,500 (all the money that was in her MPESA at the time). Fraudulent people called her pretending to be @Safaricom_Care staff, sent 5 bob to her MPESA and somehow accessed her MPESA and swept all the balance left in there,” read another tweet by @acollolo

“Sammy, I went through the same 3 wks ago. That Friday afternoon. Someone kept flashing me with a hidden number several times, my phone lost network at around 5pm. On contacting Safaricom Via twitter. I was told my SIM was swapped at Safaricom Sarit centre at 5:17 pm,” @jndinya responded.

Inside Job

As many people do not understand how exactly these SIM swaps are being done, there have been unconfirmed conclusions that Safaricom staff and agents could be involved.

Should we conclude that Safaricom staff are partly behind these scam from the above questions? Its becoming scary.

— Anzazi Kitsao (@Anzazi1) July 17, 2018

This is scary! Some of these must be inside-job manenos!

— Simon Lagat™ (@LagatSKL) July 16, 2018

Most of the fraud on Mpesa and safaricom is from the staff or agents contracted by Safaricom .These people have studied the system and know the Loopholes .If that's not true then Safaricom are so careless and there systems need to be audited and Implement GDPR to secure our data

— techplug (@munenelewy) July 17, 2018

There’s even speculation that mobile money lending apps could be the source of all this pain:

I think it has something to do with the money lending apps; tala, branch etc

— Dragonfly (@Jahlykips) July 17, 2018

We have reached out to Safaricom for a comment on the matter and we will update this article once we have an official response, all we can report for now is that according to their Twitter account, they are looking into the matter.

Tags: FraudKenyaSafaricom
SendShare147Tweet92
Saruni Maina

Saruni Maina

I Google Bing until it Yahoos! | Email: [email protected]

Related Posts

Mobile Data

Kenya Draws More Tourists as Mobile Data Roaming Soars

July 3, 2025
Safaricom Ethiopia Celebrates Big Win with 10 Million Customers

Safaricom Ethiopia Celebrates Big Win with 10 Million Customers

July 1, 2025
tackling Bank Fraud, Sextortion, and Ransomware in Kenya

Kenya Facing Rise in Cyberthreats from Bank Fraud, Sextortion, and Ransomware

July 1, 2025
Which ISP is best in Kenya

Kenya’s Best ISP: Faiba Claims the Crown for Fastest Internet

June 30, 2025
the process of setting up an Internet service provider (ISP) in Kenya

Airtel Rises While Safaricom Drops in Network Quality Scores

June 30, 2025
Unified Payment Interface

CBK’s New Fast Payment System Plan Could Rival M-Pesa

June 24, 2025

Latest

Infinix Note 50 Pro x Java House Collab

Infinix Teams Up with Java House to Launch Note 50 Pro Series

July 4, 2025
Instagram threads

Instagram Threads Rolls Out Direct Messaging in Major Feature Update

July 4, 2025
Infinix Hot 60i Pre-order

Infinix Hot 60i Now Available for Pre-Order in Kenya

July 4, 2025
Windows

Microsoft’s Windows Usage Slumps as Macs, Linux, and Mobile Take Over

July 4, 2025
Microsoft

Microsoft Slashes 9,100 Jobs in Biggest Layoffs Since 2023

July 4, 2025
NASA

NASA Brings Space Missions to Netflix at No Extra Cost

July 3, 2025

Best devices

budget smartwatches 2025

Best Budget Smartwatches To Buy in Kenya 2025

February 13, 2025

Best Infinix Smartphones To Buy in Kenya 2024

February 13, 2025

Best Laptops for Battery Life in 2024

August 21, 2024

Best “Battery Warrior” Smartphones To Buy in 2024

August 22, 2024

Infinix Teams Up with Java House to Launch Note 50 Pro Series

July 4, 2025

Instagram Threads Rolls Out Direct Messaging in Major Feature Update

July 4, 2025

Techweez is a fast growing influential source of technology news, reviews and analysis by leading tech geeks in the industry.

Follow Us

Editorials

Abductions and Arrests! Kenyan Government’s Fear and Hate of X Users Makes No Sense

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

Samsung QLED TVs Now Officially Certified for Real Quantum Dot Technology

Trump’s Tariffs Will Be the End of Affordable Tech

5 Ways to Prep Your Tech for Resale

The Weaponization of PDFs: How Cybercriminals Are Exploiting a Trusted Format

More News

iOS 26 May Pause Video if You Start Undressing on FaceTime

Apple Begins Testing Its First Foldable iPhone

Kenya Draws More Tourists as Mobile Data Roaming Soars

Axian Telecom Is Plotting a Full Buyout of Jumia

Kenya’s Cable TV Market Rebounds with 31.5% Growth

Football Meets AI as Microsoft Joins Forces with the EPL

  • Terms Of Use
  • Techweez Brand
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!

Hey there! Just a heads-up: we're big fans of cookies - both the digital and edible kind! 🍪 We use our cookies and some from third parties to ensure your browsing experience on our site is smooth sailing and secure.

 

But wait, there's more! We also use cookies to gather stats and insights on how you navigate our site. It's like getting a behind-the-scenes peek at your digital adventures!

 

Don't worry, you're in control. You can adjust your cookie settings anytime to suit your preferences. Feeling curious? Dive into our Privacy Policy for all the juicy details. Happy browsing! 🚀

Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
  • Automotive
  • Entertainment

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.