Expose Reveals Frank Obegi's Role In ATM Fraud Syndicate

The witness would later learn from one of his friends that the scam had involved collecting details on ATM cards

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Sep 19, 2022 - 09:43
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New details have put popular social media influencer, Frank Obegi, among the four people found murdered and their mutilated bodies dumped in Kijabe forest, Kiambu County in June, as one of the suspects in a syndicate involving ATM cards.

In an investigative feature on Africa Uncensored, a witness disclosed to its journalist, Raquel Muigai, that Obegi had almost poached him into the fraud racket that has seen innocent Kenyans lose money through the ATMs.

The witness would later learn from one of his friends that the scam had involved collecting details on ATM cards in order to link them to global financial technology companies such as PayPal. Afterwards, they would withdraw money from their victims' bank accounts.

Raquel Muigai interviewing a witness. /AFRICA UNCENSORED.YOUTUBE
“Frank Obegi asked me to bring him ATM cards and he would show me how to make money. I later realised that he had recruited some childhood friends I had in 2014.

“They told me they take a photo of the ATM card and link the details to PayPal. That way they can transfer any amount from the bank to the linked PayPal and then withdraw it,” the witness spoke.

He added that through this method, the fraudsters would steal from Kenyans without demanding their Personal Identification Numbers (PIN).

Other times ATM fraudsters rely on bank account holders entering their card details during online transactions to which they capture their details.

“I don’t know where they got the cards from. Probably in the nightclubs, they used to frequent or even bank employees,” Obegi’s friend said.

There are about 6 million ATM transactions monthly according to the Central Bank of Kenya. Cyber security expert Dr Bright Gameli said in the exposé that there are scammers who buy ATM card information from hackers from as low as Ksh12,000 for 10,000 cards.

According to a 2021 digital fraud report by credit reporting agency TransUnion, Kenyan banks are losing over Ksh14 billion every year to fraudsters through identity theft.

Unconfirmed reports had placed Obegi as among the group members scamming people online through cryptocurrency and ATM fraud and might have been killed over a deal gone wrong.

Friends of the deceased had reportedly indicated that Frank, Moses Nyachae and Elijah Omeke had been living large on the proceeds of money that largely remained unexplained. The three were also reported to have escaped death narrowly after they were caught in a suspected 'wash wash' (Nairobi slang for financial scams) tricks in 2020.

Multiple friends and acquaintances had reported that Fred lived an honest life trading academic writing accounts but was also a close friend to Obegi and his gang.

The four led lavish lifestyles and spent huge amounts of money when they went out to party at various entertainment joints in Nairobi.

Obegi's troubles started when the girlfriend of one of his colleagues called him to inform him about the disappearance of one of his friends. The academic writing trader reported the matter to a police station and immediately went missing - until his body was found on Monday, June 20. 

A person withdrawing money from an ATM. /FILE

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