The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has arrested a sim swap fraudster. The fraudster was arrested by DCI officers based in Thika.
According to a statement from the DCI: “ The swindler was arrested right in the act after presenting himself to a Safaricom shop for sim replacement services while using a forged ID waiting card and a police abstract form purportedly issued by Central Police Station-Nairobi”.
Further, the detectives headed with the suspect to a house in Zimmerman Nairobi. At the location, DCI was able to retrieve a mobile phone used for sim registration, assorted sim replacement cards, forged police abstract forms, and waiting cards bearing different names.
DCI detectives also found an M-Pesa till number application booklet and several ID cards.
The suspect by the name Emmanuel Kiprono is the latest to be nabbed by the detectives. On September 19th, a suspect by the name of Everline Alulu Kimani was also arrested
Similar to Mr. Kiprono she was caught in the act at a Safaricom shop. Indeed, she too is alleged to have presented forged documentation with the sole intention of performing an illegal Sim Swap.
Sim Swap Fraudster Spotted by Safaricom Staff
An illegal SIM card replacement can result in the loss of access to a person’s mobile money wallet, digital financial products, and banking information. If successful, these criminals can make away with thousands or millions of shillings, leaving the true owner of the line in debt and with police cases that are difficult to solve
The DCI states that Kiprono and Alulu are believed to be a detachment of the infamous Mulot team. These are fraudsters who target individuals with large mobile money balances. They are known to take over the victims’ phone numbers and are able to drain off their accounts.
In June this year, the DCI announced it would be working closely with Safaricom in investigating M-Pesa fraud cases. The partnership appears to be bearing fruit as it is Safaricom attendants who alerted the police of the suspicious characters leading to the two arrests.
Meanwhile, the DCI is on a hunt for the sim swap accomplices of the two suspects in custody.
