DCI describes Mulot as a dusty town shared between Bomet and Narok counties.
Rono, who disguises himself as a boda boda rider according to the DCI is one of the main suspect’s trusted allies, claims the Star could not independently verify.
The DCI claim he ferries him on his bike discreetly to avoid detection from our hawk-eyed sleuths.
Images of Rono showing off wads of cash following some of the alleged successful operations that they have conducted were also obtained by the detectives and shared on their social media handles.
A second suspect identified as Kevin Kiplagat, was also apprehended at Sigor market Bomet county.
DCI say the latest arrest of SIM swap fraudsters marks the beginning of the end of fraudsters they believe have sought refuge in the infamous trading centre that has gained notoriety for harbouring cons.
The suspected fraudsters, DCI claim, have perfected the act of impersonating senior government officials who recently obtained an unspecified amount of money from unsuspecting members of the public, after posing as a senior state official who would influence employment and business opportunities at a fee.
The suspects who have registered multiple SIM cards using details from fraudulently acquired identification documents, deposit the siphoned money to different Mpesa accounts, in a bid to make it difficult for detectives to track them down.
In most instances, the fraudsters working in cahoots with rogue banking officials pose as customer care agents from banks and then ask for a customer’s account number, PIN, as well as details of the last transaction on the targeted account.
They then use the details to duplicate the victims’ accounts and after a successful SIM swap, the account is swept clean in a matter of seconds.
Local financial institutions are the most targeted due to their inferior network segmentation systems, which expose their clients’ sensitive data to fraudsters in case of cyber threats.
As a precautionary measure, Kenyans are requested not to reveal their national identity card name and number, the last time they made an M-Pesa transaction and the amount, the last airtime top-up and amount and the Personal Identification Number of their sim cards to strangers who contact them. You are also advised not to use your year of birth as your Personal Identification Number.
Meanwhile, detectives have launched a manhunt for David Mutai alias Hillary Langat Matindwet, who hails from Bomet county.
Any information leading to his arrest, DCI say, may be shared through the toll-free line 0800 722 203.
