mzeiya
Elder Lister
Detectives based at Juja Police Station in Kiambu are currently investigating a reported case of kidnapping of a 23-year-old Victor Kibet who was abducted by unknown persons posing as police offices from an entertainment joint where he was partying with his friends.
Mr. Kibet, graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Jkuat) main campus last year with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and despite not having a formal job, he has been living large according to reports. His father Paul Mutai talking to the local media, said he couldn’t put a hand on exactly what kind of activities his son is involved in but describes him as industrious mind with a knack for making money.
“”My son told me he had started a business with other friends, but he never told me which one. We used to support each other financially. Sadly, he is missing and I am on my way to Nairobi from Narok to find out what has happened,” Mr Mutai is quoted speaking to a local newspaper.
Going by his social media accounts particularly TikTok where he showed off his opulence, Mr. Kibet brags of owning variety of luxury cars including a 2023 pearl white Mercedes-Benz GLC 250 4matic, an Audi Q5, a Toyota Mark X that he recently sold and a Subaru Forester that he often splashed his followers with.
A party diehard, things took a sharp turn for Mr. Kibet on Monday when armed men who identified themselves as police officers picked him up from a local entertainment joint for ‘interrogation’ and bundled him into a waiting Subaru car, followed by a double-cab pick-up and has since then not been seen.
After unsuccessful search in surrounding police stations including Thika Police Station, Juja, Ruiru, Central Police Station, his abduction was recorded at Juja Police Station under OB number 74/19/3/24 at 6:58pm.
“We supported each other financially and he is a very generous son whose life was starting to take shape until he was abducted on Monday. I wonder why anyone would want to abduct or harm my son. I have not slept since I was informed that he was missing and I pray that wherever he is, he is safe,” Mr Mutai is quoted by the local newspaper.
Each year, about 115 million debit and credit cards are stolen in developed countries and posted on the dark web, according to Gemini Advisory, a cybersecurity firm that tracks underground marketplaces and forums.
Experts say the internet is made up of three tiers; the surface web, which is accessible to anyone with data, a communications device and can access a browser such as Google; the deep web, which contains password-protected sites like Facebook or Twitter; and the dark web, which requires special browsers such as Tor, Freenet, Subgraph and Waterfox.
The difference between the dark web and normal browsers is that users are able to hide their identities. Every day millions of stolen credit cards, cryptocurrency accounts, hacked Gmail and Twitter accounts, purchasable malware and even drugs are sold on the dark web.
International credit card scamming syndicates have identified Kenya as a good location to launder their stolen funds due to its robust financial technology sector, powered by Mpesa.
In most cases, money stolen from credit cards in countries such as the US is deposited into accounts held by the Kenyan university students who have a close-knit circle that is difficult to penetrate. The fraudsters then send a fake invoice to their Kenyan counterparts for some fictitious service. After receiving the invoice, the Kenyan associates wire the money indicated on the invoice to some other bank account owned by the fraudsters and earn a commission.
Those who have been in the business long enough and have IT skills do the hacking themselves by purchasing details of stolen credit cards on the dark web or on Telegram. The hacked credit cards are then used to order expensive food at hotels, alcoholic drinks, electronic gadgets and even cars.
This is done quickly lest the owners abroad realise their cards have been hacked and ask their banks to block them.
Kenya has in the recent times tightened its grip on cybercrimes following the disgraceful listing on the grey list by Financial Action Task Force, FATF, international crime watchdog for loose ends in curbing money laundering.
A report from the FATF last year said Kenya mainly faced risks from flows of money linked to terrorism financing from both inside and outside its borders, while cryptocurrencies posed further risks.
