HOW CRIMINALS EXPLOITED ALBERT OJWANG’S FATHER, DRAINED HIS M-PESA ACCOUNT

The family of the late Albert Ojwang’ has narrated fraudsters stole burial donations meant to lay their loved one to rest. 

In a heartbreaking turn of events, criminals took advantage of the family’s vulnerability, swapping the father’s SIM card and draining his M-Pesa account while they were making funeral arrangements.

While at the City Mortuary preparing for Albert’s burial, the grieving father misplaced his national ID in the crowded facility. Before he could report the loss or secure a replacement, criminals used the stolen ID to fraudulently swap his Safaricom SIM card and gain access to his M-Pesa account. Within hours, the scammers emptied the account, leaving only Sh3,000 behind.

The stolen funds included donations from well-wishers sent directly to the father’s number to assist with burial expenses. The family attempted to secure the money by transferring it to M-Shwari, KCB, or bank accounts, but the fraudsters had already locked them out. Even after purchasing a new phone, the line remained inactive, confirming the SIM swap.

“We went to the Safaricom office on June 20 and they said someone did a sim swap. When he got the ID we did a SIM card replacement, they stopped illegal transactions on that line. We have a fraud investigation going on and we will be able to know who did the swap, which numbers we received the money and the total amount transacted,” the family disclosed.

The family confirms that only funds sent to the personal number were stolen, while donations sent via PayBill remain secure.