A man has been arrested in Garissa after allegedly posing as a Safaricom agent and tricking an M-Pesa shop attendant into surrendering control of a mobile line, which he allegedly used to transfer money to another account.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) identified the suspect as Edwin Mugoi, who was arrested shortly after the reported incident following a complaint by the affected M-Pesa attendant.
According to the DCI, Mugoi targeted the attendant at Posta Area in Bulla Hodhan, Garissa town, where he reportedly presented himself as a Safaricom agent offering to upgrade the attendant’s mobile line.
The suspect allegedly used the purported line upgrade as a way of carrying out a SIM swap, enabling him to take control of the mobile number.
After gaining access to the line, Mugoi allegedly transferred funds from the affected account to another account, according to the DCI.
“With deception at his fingertips, Mugoi approached the unsuspecting attendant, pretending to offer a line upgrade. Little did the attendant know he was about to lose both his phone line and a significant sum of money, as Mugoi swapped the line and fraudulently transferred funds to another account,” the DCI said.
Police officers from Garissa Police Station responded after the incident was reported and arrested the suspect shortly afterwards.
A subsequent search also led officers to recover several items that investigators believe may have been used in the alleged fraudulent activities.
The recovered items included multiple SIM cards, four mobile phones, two SIM card registration gadgets and four chargers.
“Thanks to swift action by the police officers Mugoi was arrested shortly after the incident. Officers conducted a thorough search and recovered multiple SIM cards, four mobile phones, two SIM card registration gadgets, and four chargers, all tools of his trade,” the DCI stated.
The suspect remained in police custody as officers processed him for arraignment in court.
The incident highlights the risk of SIM-swap fraud, where criminals seek to take control of a victim’s mobile number and use it to access mobile-money accounts or other services connected to the line.
Mobile money remains widely used in Kenya, with Central Bank of Kenya data showing that the country recorded more than 42 million active mobile-money subscriptions in 2024. The value of mobile-money transactions during the same year reached Sh7.4 trillion.
The widespread use of mobile-money services has also made them a target for fraud and other financial crimes.
The Communications Authority of Kenya has previously warned consumers against giving out personal information, PINs and other confidential details to individuals claiming to represent telecommunications companies.
The DCI did not disclose the amount of money allegedly transferred during the Garissa incident. The agency also did not say whether other M-Pesa attendants had reported similar incidents involving Mugoi.
Mugoi was still in police custody pending processing for his arraignment, according to the DCI.
The agency urged members of the public to report suspected criminal activity through its anonymous reporting channels. It provided the toll-free number 0800 722 203 and WhatsApp number 0709 570 000 for those wishing to provide information anonymously.