News tricks that criminals are using to steal your money as you walk on the streets

Digital criminals now consider use of force, firearm and other forms of violence as ‘old school’ and take pride in making their work as smooth and ‘bloodless’ as possible. This naturally does not include hired assassins. The criminals have become so innovative, they are fast upgrading their tactics to take down a number of victims before they are discovered.

Money dropped on the street

criminals target women’s handbags in the hope of walking away with mobile phones and other electronic gadgets. They operate during the day from secluded areas. They will trick a victim by dropping wads of notes on the ground. As the unsuspecting victim picks the ‘free money’ the contents her bag will meanwhile be emptied from behind.

Fake ID

Lost or stolen national Identification Cards (IDs) can be a useful documents for making a quick buck. The original photo of the real owner is removed and replaced with the photo of the fraudster. The thief then uses the fake ID, which has his photo but bearing names of a different person to commit a crime. These are serious fraudsters who use the forged ID to engage in big-time transactions like transfer of land or motor vehicles.

One way is to use the ID to hire a car. That gives the thief enough time to forge documents like logbook for the hired car, which he uses to borrow money from shy-locks, micro-finance institutions and other money lenders. These crooks collude with corrupt KRA officials to present the forged logbook as an original. The fraud will be detected later, long after the crime has been committed. However, if the loss of the ID had been reported, at least the victim of identity theft will not be considered a suspect. This type of crime is widespread countrywide and it is wise that you report a lost ID lest you find yourself on the wrong side of the law answering to criminal charges.

KDF recruitment

Recruitment for jobs are perfect opportunities for con artists to squeeze millions of shillings from desperate victims. Enrollment into prisons, police, military, Kenya Wildlife Service and National Youth Service do not end without some Kenyan losing money. Parents, relatives, guardians and potential recruits are promised slots with the understanding that they have to cough up a certain amount of money to bribe influential ‘bosses.’ These crooks are savvy, striking the pose of power and connection. Once they have pocketed the money, they vanish into thin air and you will never reach them through the number they had given.