Digital Identity Theft: Public Warned of Fake Social Media Accounts Impersonating Police Spokesperson

NAIROBI Kenya July 2 -The National Police Service has warned the public about fake social media accounts purporting to be National Police Service Spokesperson, Dr. Resila Atieno Onyango.

Impostors are using these accounts to deceive people and engage in cybercrime activities.

“We wish to caution the general public against interacting with the multiple fake accounts purporting to belong to the National Police Service Spokesperson, Dr. Resila Atieno Onyango, PhD, HSC,” NPS headquarters said.

Dr. Resila Atieno Onyango has clarified that she does not have any personal social media accounts for official communication.

“Please note that NPS Spokesperson does not operate any social media account and only transacts her official duties through NPS official communications platforms. The existing accounts are maintained by unscrupulous imposters with criminal intent to defraud unsuspecting persons,” NPS said.

Police have also urged members of the public to report such cases to detectives.

Karagu Kamau, a cyber-security expert said the rise in fake social media accounts impersonating public figures has been a serious concern.

Experts now urge individuals to verify the legitimacy of accounts before sharing personal information.

The Kenyan government has enacted strong cybersecurity laws to combat cyber threats.

The Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act has served as a deterrent to cybercriminals.

Law enforcement agencies are actively working to track down and apprehend the perpetrators behind these fake accounts.

“The National Police Service, along with cybersecurity experts, is monitoring social media platforms to identify and report fraudulent accounts,” said the Police.

Members of Public have been advised to verify the authenticity of accounts and exercise caution when sharing personal information online.

“Report any suspicious or fake social media accounts to the respective platform.”

Mr. Karagu has urged Kenyans to stay vigilant and follow cybersecurity practices to protect themselves from falling victim to scams.

The National Police Service has committed to ensuring the safety and security of Kenya’s digital landscape.

Social media impersonation is a form of digital identity theft where scammers create a profile on a social platform using the name, picture, and background details of a real people on social media.

The scammers may manipulate the victim’s contacts into thinking the fake profile belongs to a real person they can trust.

The intention is to use that impression of authenticity to exploit those who interact with the fake account by either asking for information or money and for propaganda.

It can also involve credit card fraud, harassment, computer fraud and financial fraud.

There are several types of social media impersonation including personal account impersonation and social media account hijacking where cyber-criminals break into legitimate accounts and use them to distribute malicious or fraudulent content.

Few years ago, gullible Kenyans lost millions of shillings to a conman posing as the then NPS Director of Communication, Charles Owino.

To convince and convince his victims further, he created a Facebook account with the name and photo of Mr Owino. Truecaller also identified him as Mr Charles Owino.

However, the extent of the fraud could not be established as most of the victims failed to report even after realizing that they have been defrauded.

“If you sent him cash to help you or your kin join the police service you cannot go and report to the authorities. It is wrong to do so but because it is very competitive, one is forced to part with money,” said one of the victims.

So confident was the conman that he even told his victims to go to his office on the ground floor at the Police headquarters. Some officers had even gone to Mr Owino’s office only to realize that he was not around.

The conman had even promised some people of assisting them joining the ongoing military recruitment.

The conman seemed to be aware of police operations and procedures, and even registered his Mpesa line using Mr Owino’s names.

In some of the cases, the conman asked the victims to send the cash to then a Cabinet Secretary who he claimed was his partner in car import business. In case money was sent, it would indicate that the cash had been sent to the minister.

Investigations however later revealed that the mobile number does not belong to the minister