- In the latest case, police said they recovered four mobile phones and 27 SIM cards from the woman.
- She has been linked to fraud cases of Sh351,000 in Maua, Sh210,000 at Nyayo Police Station in Nairobi, Sh20,217 at Molo Police Station, and Sh27,000 at Central Police Station in Nairobi.
Detectives are holding a 25-year-old woman linked to stealing of over Sh600,000 in SIM swap fraud.
The woman was arrested in the Kapchumbe area, Chepalungu, Bomet County on Monday, August 26, police said.
She was connected to a series of cases of SIM Swaps where unsuspecting Kenyans lost up to Sh600,000.
In a successful SIM swap scam, the cybercriminals hijack the victim’s cell phone number and use it to gain access to his/her sensitive personal data and bank accounts through the Mobile Banking Apps available on Android and other smartphones.
Once they take control of the swapped SIM card, they insert it in their phone, access the financial accounts and transfer all the funds to other scammed telephone numbers.
And when the cash is withdrawn, they switch off the stolen cards frustrating efforts by detectives to track them down.
Detectives have established that dozens of other Kenyans have been defrauded by the multi-faced gang and now want the victims to report to the Operations Branch at the DCI headquarters.
In the latest case, police said they recovered four mobile phones and 27 SIM cards from the woman.
According to police, during interrogation, it was revealed that the suspect had been on the run after stealing money from unsuspecting people.
She has been linked to fraud cases of Sh351,000 in Maua, Sh210,000 at Nyayo Police Station in Nairobi, Sh20,217 at Molo Police Station, and Sh27,000 at Central Police Station in Nairobi.
Police said no cash was recovered, but a signed inventory book was found at the scene.
The suspect was taken to the station pending further action.
This is in the wake of the revelation by police that obtaining money by false pretence, bank fraud and land fraud are the three leading economic crimes reported to the DCI.
To avoid such incidents, officials advise one to ensure their SIM cards have active SIM locks, use strong passwords and keep personal information off social media.
The actual extent of the fraud has however not been established due to underreporting, and in some cases, failure to report such crimes to the police.
According to a report compiled by the DCI such crimes were underreported and in some cases not reported in good time thus negatively affecting effective investigations.
Police say some victims or the affected parties were reluctant to report due to business risks in their endeavour to save their brand names and business image.
Fear of adverse publicity, embarrassment and shying off in court process are some of the challenges the DCI is facing in investigating such crimes.
The DCI says some of the emerging economic crimes, which are recognized in some jurisdictions were yet to be domesticated in Kenya, posing another challenge, especially in a country where criminals are adept at exploiting loopholes in regulations.