SIM swap scammers' turn sleepy village into criminals haven

In the heart of Cheptuiyet in Sigowet Sub-County along the dusty and dilapidated Mindililwet-Cheptuiyet-Sondu road lies Lelagoi village, a Kipsigis for "place of white stones". 

The village is gaining notoriety as the second place after Mulot in Bomet for mobile money crimes. It is becoming a haven for young criminals involved in SIM swapping. 

This has threatened the image of the sleepy village that forms the gateway to the vibrant Sondu town and the entire Nyanza region.

The fraudsters are known to be heavy spenders in hotels and other social joints, while some have moved from the village and rented houses at Kapchebangor, a trading centre. 

Others have built decent houses in the village using proceeds from their criminal activities as their victims suffer losses amounting to millions. 

They also move in groups to towns such as Kericho, Litein, Kapsoit and Roret where they wine and dine after a loot. 

Typically, they move about on motorcycles with two to three expensive mobile phones. 

One of the victims who lost Sh12,000 blames parents for failing to instill good values.

"If your son has put up an expensive house and owns two to three mobile phones and he doesn't have a job, ask him the source of money," says the man who chose to remain anonymous.

He wants the Director of Criminal Investigations to deploy officers in the area to track the young criminals.

"These young people want to get rich quickly without toiling. I am a victim of the syndicate and I urge the DCI to come and carry out a swoop on these fraudsters who have fleeced hardworking people of their hard-earned money," he says.                  

The fraud involves identity theft, where scammers replace and take control of the customer’s phone line, enabling access to mobile money and banking accounts, along with other sensitive information.

“Fraudsters go to the extent of registering an existing number on a new SIM to intercept notifications, one-time passwords, online banking profiles and transactions, as well as changing security settings,” explains Safaricom on its website. 

“To avoid this disastrous activity, it is key to ensure your SIM card has an active SIM lock, use strong passwords and keep personal information off social media.” 

Cases of mobile money fraud have been rising. In 2019, the DCI named seven alleged scammers as "The Mulot Team" following a raid. The operation led to the seizure of 200 SIM cards, numerous mobile phones, and several mobile-money agent registers.

“The (Mulot) team also defrauds unsuspecting citizens through M-Shwari, withdrawals, fake M-Pesa reversal claims, and M-Pesa con SMS,” said the DCI. 

Interestingly, all suspects were aged between 22 and 28.

In May 2024, a senior police officer lost Sh597,000 to the scammers. Peter Mwanzo, then the Kasarani OCPD, was stunned when he discovered his bank and mobile money accounts had been emptied. 

Although the scammers operated from Nairobi, the funds were withdrawn in Mulot in four separate transactions. 

“Within less than six hours, Sh597,100 had been transferred from my Equity Bank account to my M-Pesa account, then sent to a number unknown to me, and later withdrawn in Mulot, Bomet County. How it happened is still a mystery to me,” Mwanzo explained.

He described receiving numerous phone calls one evening and putting his phone on flight mode at 6.45pm. He turned off the flight mode after five minutes and found his phone could no longer connect to the network. 

The following day, he replaced his line and, upon reactivating it, received a flood of M-Pesa notifications.

He later attempted to send money and was surprised to find he had exceeded the limit, realising the fraudulent withdrawals.

In December of the same year, Kevin Kiplangat Maritim, also known as Elvis Chepkosa, aged 34, and Dominic Kipngeno Langa, alias Hillary Muge, aged 28, were reportedly abducted in Mai Mahiu and taken to the Lari Police Station in Kiambu.

Police claimed they were part of the Mulot SIM swap syndicate. 

 He was arrested on 13 February 2024 by DCI officers, who sought additional time to detain him via a miscellaneous application.

 He and his accomplices appeared in court on 20 February 2024 and were held in custody for two weeks during their bail hearing.

 It is alleged that the duo leads a group of youths from Bomet County who specialise in social engineering (vishing), using it to gather personal information from victims, perform SIM swaps, and withdraw funds from mobile wallets and bank accounts.

 Chepkosa began engaging in the crime around 2014 after learning about it from Job Kipkoech Rere, a cybercriminal who learned the vice while incarcerated at Naivasha Maximum Prison. 

 According to police, he recruits local youths periodically and trains them in social engineering and SIM swap techniques, although the duo has yet to be traced. 

 The vice is spreading rapidly in Mulot and nearby villages, with reports of at least one SIM swapper in every household.