In a series of letters to African journalists, Kenyan journalist Waihiga Mwaura writes about cryptocurrency scams, including scams that use his name to deceive investors.
I got a random phone call from a doctor I didn’t know, asking if I could do an interview with a Kenyan billionaire, about a new Bitcoin currency product on an obscure internet site.
I’m relieved and worried, because I knew he was the victim of a two-year-old internet scam, claiming that I, along with a local billionaire, supported a cryptocurrency trading platform.
Although I have done my best to warn Kenyans about this scam, through my social media, it seems that these scammers continue to switch their online profiles and tactics, targeting unsuspecting Kenyans, hoping that the the bottom becomes more prosperous.
In the midst of an obsession – and anxiety – many fall into the trap of a Ponzi scheme, which at first appears to be the answer to a long-standing prayer.
The American was arrested
The most recent scam in Kenya was related to an ‘app’ called Amazon Web Worker Africa, which claimed to be a subsidiary of Amazon Inc. and the ‘app’ was accessed via mobile and web mode.
In no way was the ‘app’ associated with the company Amazon Inc. of the American internet business.
In the past few weeks, investors in Amazon Web Worker have woken up to find that the app has been removed from the Google Play store without their knowledge and their money – in some cases thousands of dollars – inaccessible.
The trick was simple, you were paid to complete the app and you were also paid to deposit money into the app. You were promised a certain percentage of interest, while the capital you invested was also promised to remain safe.
As soon as the app went down, hundreds of Kenyans took to social media to express their dismay, some of them complaining that their close friends and family told them about the “investment opportunity”.
The good news is that Kenyan authorities have announced the arrest of a 50-year-old American man accused of involvement in the so-called “Amazon Web Worker scam”.
