By Social media comes with both its ups and downs. The positives almost always out way the negatives and that is why such platforms thrive. Unfortunately, humanity seems to always find a way to bring the bad out of anything. In this case, we’re looking at instances where users are creating fake social media accounts pretending to be the official customer care pages for companies like Safaricom.
Tales of Fake Safaricom Customer Care Accounts
Social media has the power to let you become someone you are not. In the physical world, a luxury we do not have is ‘avoiding judgement’. Immediately someone sets their eyes on you, they begin to judge. On social media, that’s barely ever the case unless you put yourself out there. You can roam through different pages and sites confidently without fear of judgment.
However, most users have taken the opposite side of this freedom. People are taking into account the naivety of humanity and using it against them. Take for instance that tale of one @Macharia_Adrian who tried to reach out to Safaricom Customer Care for an issue he was having only to be met with a response from a fake account.
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? I was ranting to the real safaricom guys then Hawa wakareply……. pic.twitter.com/nxVwqhyd3f
— Coochie Mane (@macharia_adrian) August 3, 2021
He is not the only one. Essie Marigu also stepped into the lime light to narrate her ordeal
It happened to me too sometime back. I didn’t check which handle I was tagging. I even engaged them in the DM. Until I noticed they were asking for my personal detail. Then it hit me that I was not dealing with the verified account. So I totally understand how they conned you!
The Scam
I know what you are thinking… How do these people get conned? Can’t be me! Well I think it’s important to remember that during a crisis it’s hard to calm down and evaluate whether you are talking to the right page.
As you can see, these pages take into consideration what people see first. That is the name, the profile picture and header. As you can see they are all similar and in times of trouble, you will see this and your mind tends to trust.
Aside from that, they also reply with the utmost detail and precision. They reply before the official Safaricom account replies and even use the tag of the attendant on duty.
The looked at replies recent from the hour of the tweets so they know RI is on duty and they act accordingly
— Edd (@Adenya_E) August 3, 2021
They reply to your issue and go as far as directly messaging you for ‘further assistance’. They are said to be watching and waiting for someone to comment their issue and then go ahead to reply to you
I think nobody is too smart for this Kanairo. These guys camp on @Safaricom_Care wall if you post your query the inbox immediately https://t.co/Le2gdfiUDj
— We Buy Old newspaper (@doubleprecycle) August 3, 2021
I warned you people last week!!! pic.twitter.com/eIIvszYEH2
— NAIROBI’S FINEST SHYLOCK (@Nairobi_Shylock) August 3, 2021
According to most victims, the aim of these fake accounts is to ask for your Safaricom account details in the long run and ultimately swindle you out of your money.
As for Adrian he lost KES 4500
These mfs just conned me 4500? pic.twitter.com/V8uuexJ1eK
— Coochie Mane (@macharia_adrian) August 3, 2021
Another victim fell pray to them and lost KES 60,000. One @Marion notes that they not only ask for your details but sometimes even just give you codes to input. This gives them access to your details and you end up sending them money. They are even smart enough to keep telling you that ‘Pin Yako, Siri Yako’
Mimi hata sikuulizwa ID number. They just gave me some codes to press & that was it. They kept telling me 'pin yako ni siri yako'. Fucking idiots???
— Marion (@maelwak) August 4, 2021
The Solution
The stories are endless and none of them end on a light note. It’s imperative for you to beware of such pages:
- Check if the page is verified
- Confirm the date joined (Should be June 2011)
- Check the follower count (Should be above 1 Million)
Aside from this, should you fail to see this, you should know that Safaricom should know all your details and shouldn’t ask for them unless they mention them to you first. Stay woke. If you come across them, report the page to both Safaricom and Twitter so that they may look into blocking them.
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