A section of elderly persons at Olokruto division in Narok North sub county are crying foul following a trend by conmen pretending to be Airtel mobile company dealers, who con them money in pretence of buying their piece of land to put up mobile booster.
The elders said the conmen impersonate themselves to be top officials of the giant mobile phone who promise them huge returns in exchange for their piece of land to install the mobile booster.
Mzee William Tamoo, 92 years old said last week on Thursday while in his farm that is located next to Narok- Mau road, two people who were riding on a motorbike stopped to greet him.
They introduced themselves as employees of the Airtel Mobile Company who were out to seek a good location where they could fix the Airtel booster since the network is so poor in the area.
The two conmen promised Mzee Tamoo that once they install the mobile booster on his piece of land, he will get a lump sum payment of Sh. 5 Million and a monthly payment of Sh. 40, 000.
The news was too sweet for the aging man who breathed a sigh of relief thinking that God had finally remembered his struggles and decided to reward him before he breathed his last.
This prompted the innocent old man to hand over his mobile phone to the two men who promised to offer him a airtel line free of charge.
It is after two days that Mzee Tamoo realized that his Mpesa pin number had been blocked and his Sh. 5, 000 that was in his Mpesa account missing.
“This was so disappointing that I could not express myself. I have not gained enough strength to visit the police station to report the incident,” he said.
Another elderly woman, Ms. Beatrice Masikonde narrated how she was conned Sh. 20, 000 by three young ladies and a man who pretended to be working with Airtel Company.
Ms. Masikonde said the four came in a private grey vehicle and packed outside her gate along the Narok- Mau road.
According to Ms. Masikonde, the four had job cards hanging on their necks and t-shirts branded Airtel, a clear evidence that they were genuine employees of the Airtel company.
“I was threshing maize in the company of my children when the four arrived. The ladies were too beautiful and confident. They seemed not to be in a hurry and spoke to me in a very friendly manner,” said Ms. Masikonde.
They explained to her that her shamba was located in a place where airtel boosters could function well hence they were interested in buying her piece of land at Sh. 5 million and a monthly payment of Sh. 40, 000.
“They even gave me acceptance forms to fill in if I was interested in the deal. The forms looked genuine as they were branded with Airtel writings,” she explained.
Nevertheless, before they left her compound, they asked for her phone so that they could fix it with an airtel line so that she could communicate with them. This is when they transferred the Sh. 20, 000 that was in her Mpesa account, to their account.
Her effort to rush to Safaricom shop to report the incident was futile as it was confirmed that the money had already been transferred.
Daniel Kamau the Mau Mau secretary general said most members had reported to have been conned by the same people who move around pretending to be Airtel dealers.
However, Narok County Criminal Investigating Officer Martin Mwenda asked those conned the money to report to the police to ease investigations saying no one had reported the incidents.