Scammers on the prowl: Beware of the latest tactics

In the middle of a busy afternoon last week, my phone rang: Number unsaved, caller unknown.

I am one of the few people who have completely resisted the temptation to download the Truecaller app, which is designed to help identify unknown callers. I always reason that, if you call me and I do not know who you are, I will simply ask.

Problems only begin when I pick up a call and the caller is not clear about what they want, or they are dodgy, like the caller on that particular Tuesday afternoon.

I could immediately tell that there was something off about the caller. He introduced himself with three names, and proceeded to tell me I was one of a hundred winners…

“I am calling you from Airtel. We are celebrating 25 years of existence. You are one of the one hundred winners who have been selected, through a raffle, to be awarded…”

He continued speaking, but my attention trailed off, and I really didn’t hear everything else. When he stopped speaking, I said: “What would you like from me?” He hesitated a bit, maybe he was unsettled by my definite question. But he soldiered on, determined to ‘make a killing’.

“I need to be sure I am speaking to the right person.”

At this point, I had long figured out the guy was trying to scam me, and I needed to end that sham of a phone call and get back to work, but I was also trying to exercise the fruit of patience, as the good Christian I am.

“Look, I am quite busy right now, and I do not have time. Could you please call the other 99 winners, and you can call me last?” I said, diplomatically dismissing him.

Also read: How fraudsters are using family, friends to swindle millions from jobseekers

Scammers are not a new phenomenon in Nairobi – from the weird texts about someone pretending to be filthy rich, working for an international agency, and looking for someone who is ready to ‘urgently settle down’; to the infamous mchele babes, there is a new form to scamming each new day.

For the sake of my international readers, mchele babes refers to women who approach men in nightclubs or other entertainment joints, and use dubious ways to spike their drinks, and then steal from them in varied ways. Basically mchele babes are scam-women.

But then there is a category of scammers that accompany you home and wipe your house clean! Legend has it that when they speak to you, and you speak back, you inhale something from them that gets you confused, and they take advantage of your confused state to withdraw money from your account (because you give them your Pin numbers) among other horrific things.

Two or so years ago, one of my colleagues was bargaining for a bed and mattress on the phone. He had contacted one of those high-end brands. He seemed frazzled when he got off the phone. He sat next to me, so it was easy to listen in on the call because he was not exactly being discreet.

“I need 200K urgently,” he mumbled. It was mid-month.

I didn’t know what to tell him because I wasn’t sure I should get into his private business. But then he continued… and since we were friends, beyond just being colleagues, I listened.  He told me he needed to buy a bed and mattress, and replace some of his household items.

I thought those were a luxury and he didn’t have to stress himself – he could either wait until month-end to purchase the stuff, as he continued to use whatever he had, or save up, so he didn’t have to stretch his salary.

Then he dropped the bombshell. He had been scammed of all his valuable household items. I was struggling to understand if he meant robbed or scammed until he explained. The previous weekend, he had gone out to a nightclub, and after a good night of dancing, he went home with a lady he had met at the club.

He suspects the lady put something in his drink because when he woke up 24 hours later, his house was without many of his valuables, including his bed, mattress, television and seats. He was lying on his floor.

I think a good point to end this is to remind us to be careful out there –  whether you are in a mat, taking a walk in your hood or just picking up calls. Do not be absentminded when interacting with people you do not know.

The writer is the Research & Impact Editor, NMG ([email protected]).