Detectives have identified the notorious Mulot SIM swap syndicate’s mastermind David Mutai, also known as Hillary Langat Matindwet, a dangerous felon who has a history of imprisonment and numerous cases and arrest warrants hanging over his head.
This comes as a result of thorough investigations by detectives working for the prestigious Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau, who were able to identify Langat Matindwe, the de facto boss of the criminal organization behind the SIM swap scam, in which con artists steal a victim’s cell phone number and use it to access sensitive personal information and bank accounts through mobile banking software.
In a recent incident that resulted in the arrest of two of his accomplices, fraudsters stole Sh941,000 from the bank account of a Rift Valley legislator who was out of the country on business between December 2 and 3.
Following an incident reported by the politician, detectives tracked down and detained one of Langat Matindwet’s lieutenants, Justus Rono, 28, in the fraudsters’ haven of Mulot, a desert town bordered by Bomet and Narok counties.
One of the primary suspect’s trusted accomplices is Rono, who poses as a boda boda rider and transports the suspect covertly on his bike to avoid being seen by our sharp-eyed detectives. The detectives also acquired pictures of Rono flaunting large sums of cash after some of the successful operations they had carried out.
A second suspect identified as Kevin Kiplagat, was also apprehended at Sigor market Bomet county, in the latest arrest of SIM swap fraudsters who have sought refuge in the infamous trading centre that has gained notoriety for harbouring cons.
The fraudsters who have also perfected the act of impersonating senior government officials 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 for track them down.
In most instances, the fraudsters working in cahoots with rogue banking officials pose as customer care agents from banks 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’ account 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, that expose their clients’ sensitive data to the 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.
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