Mercy Auma
Detectives have arrested notorious bitcoin fraudsters in Nakuru’s Milimani Estate.
In an operation that has been going on for weeks, two students from Kenyatta University, Francis Maina Wambui Alias Nick aged 26, and Zellic Alusa aged 25 were named as masterminds.
Two other young ladies were also busted and arrested during the operation.
The gang operates by hacking people’s credit cards before using them to purchase bitcoins and then converting them into Kenyan currency.
According to the DCI, the suspects live lavishly after defrauding innocent persons of their hard-earned money. They create fake email accounts which they use to hack credit cards and operate their syndicate in groups.
Read: Uhuru Launches DCI Forensic Lab as He Promises Action Against Digital Crimes
“In the sophisticated crime that is gaining currency in the country, the students create fake email accounts which they use to hack credit cards of innocent persons, especially those living in foreign countries and use them to buy bitcoins that are then converted to Kenyan currency,” the DCI said.
In one instance, the fraudsters are said to have purchased property worth Sh850,000 in Juja.
BITCOIN THUGS ARRESTED
A notorious gang that has been hacking people’s credit cards before using them to purchase bitcoins and convert them to Kenyan currency, have been arrested in Nakuru city. The gang operating from houses in the affluent Milimani neighborhood has been on our pic.twitter.com/BNG40QpxkU— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) June 16, 2022
Last week, while launching the DCI Forensic lab, President Uhuru Kenyatta promised to take tough actions against digital crimes.
The Head of State said the emergence of electronic fraud in the country was caused by increased digital transactions.
Thus, he directed the Ministry of Interior and ICT to outline appropriate measures to strengthen the capacity of the cybercrimes unit with the newly launched Forensic lab.
“A new wave of crime is equally emerging that involves things like Sim swapping and the typical ‘tuma kwa hii namba’ syndicate, all of which we must deal with properly,” he said.
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