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It was the perfect con. Or so they thought.
A Nigerian businessman, big plans in hand, approached a group of "businessmen" in Kenya. Their pitch? A private jet to transport investment funds. The cost? A cool Ksh12 million (150 million Naira).
Fast forward. The jet never arrived. The funds vanished. And the "businessmen"? They pulled a disappearing act.
But the law has long arms.
On January 24, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) swooped in. They nabbed one suspect involved in the scam. His accomplices? Still at large.
The DCI shared the news, cautioning the public about rising cases of fraud. "This scam isn’t an isolated incident," they said. "Fraudsters are growing bolder, using sophisticated tactics like cryptocurrency to evade detection."
Cryptocurrency. It sounds futuristic, right? But for fraudsters, it’s a golden ticket.
Back in February 2024, the DCI warned Kenyans about crypto scams. Messages promising “Make Money Sitting at Home” flooded phones. Victims were lured into fake online platforms. Profits? Non-existent. Losses? Massive.
Despite a government ban on crypto trading, it didn’t stop. Fraudsters found ways around it. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stepped in, urging Kenya to regulate the crypto space.
Treasury CS John Mbadi is on it. He’s promised a regulatory framework by mid-2025. The goal? To protect Kenyans and clean up the crypto mess.
The upcoming Draft National Policy on Virtual Assets will address money laundering, terrorist financing, and scams like this one.
This jet scam is more than a headline. It’s a wake-up call.
The world of finance is changing, fast. But as technology evolves, so do scams. Stay alert. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
And as for the fraudsters? The detectives are hot on their trail. Let’s hope justice takes flight soon.