Kasarani OCPD Narrates How He Lost Sh597,000 to Sim-Swap Fraudsters

A senior Nairobi police officer has narrated how he lost nearly Sh600,000 to a sim-swap fraud syndicate within six hours.

While testifying before Milimani magistrate Mary Mwendwa, Kasarani OCPD Peter Mwanzo recounted how he fell prey to the syndicate on the night of January 4th this year, losing Sh597,100.

"Within less than six hours Sh597,100 had been transferred from my Equity Bank account to my MPesa account and later sent to a number unknown to me and withdrawn in Mulot, Bomet county. How this happened is still a mystery to me," Mwanzo told the court.

It all started at around 6:45 pm when he received a call from an anonymous number which he failed to pick up and later set his phone on flight mode to avoid disturbance as the phone kept on ringing.

Five minutes later, Mwanzo deactivated the flight mode but his phone failed to pick any network or signal. "I rechecked at 9:00 pm and still the mobile phone had no network," Mwanzo stated.

He was forced to visit a Safaricom shop in Kasarani the following day to establish what was the problem with his phone network. The attendant advised him to replace his Sim card since it had failed.

"Upon turning on my phone I was surprised by the messages that started coming in. I tried to purchase airtime and send some money but the transaction failed and got a message that I had exceeded my limits," Mwanzo testified.

"I was shocked that I had even registered a Fuliza account and Airtel money. I had never applied for any loan or registered with Airtel."

He then requested his MPesa and bank statements and was shocked to learn that money had been transferred from his bank account to his MPesa before being withdrawn from Bomet county by a third party, which was transferred in four tranches.

At 19:14 pm, a sum of Sh150,000 was withdrawn from his bank account to Mpesa and transferred to another number in Mulot. Six minutes later, Sh147,000 was withdrawn and six minutes past midnight another Sh150,000 was withdrawn while the last transaction of Sh150,100 was conducted a minute later.

Upon seeking held from the Criminal Intelligence Unit and Safaricom, he was informed that his Sim Card had been swapped.

“l understand that my sim card was easily switched or swapped by someone who was at Donholm, Nairobi county that evening and money was withdrawn at a point in Mulot Bomet county. I could not explain how it happened as l have never shared my pin or personal details with anyone. This is madness. It seemed easy for the third party to use my sim card,” the officer said.

Mwanzo was testifying against Gideon Mark, a suspect in the case. The hearing will continue on June 29th.