New Trick By Scammers Targeting Parents With Kids In High School
Parents and guardians of high school students have been warned about a new scam used by con artists to defraud them.
In an interview with the media, Keiyo South Directorate of Criminal Investigation Officer (DCIO) Samuel Otieno stated that scammers have been going around schools stealing books with important data that they later use to scam unsuspecting parents.
Otieno observed that the vice had spread to various schools, with some parents becoming victims of the perpetrators.
He said that the fraudsters use various schemes, such as posing as concerned parents, to gain access to the school’s grounds. Some of the reasons they gave included paying fees and attending parent-teacher conferences and school functions.
“Some fraudsters have even been attending parents’ meetings and other school gatherings with the aim of getting their details.”
The incidents occurred at a number of high schools in Elgeyo Marakwet County, including Kapkenda High School, Alphonsus Girls Mutei, Lelboinet, and Kimwarer.
A man posing as a parent seeking an audience with the school’s bursar ended up stealing the visitor’s book at the gate at Kapkenda High School.
Joyce Mulunda, the school’s principal, stated that the scammer went to the gate a few minutes after being directed to the bursar’s office, claiming that he was preoccupied at the time.
“The man waited at the gate for almost an hour and when the security officer excused herself, he pounced on the visitor’s book and vanished,” she stated.
Within minutes of committing the crime, the perpetrator sent messages to over 100 parents, requesting money ranging from Ksh1,000 to Ksh5,000 to meet the needs of their child.
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“Send money, you are a parent to a Form One, the students are outside waiting to be sent home, send the money,” read one of the SMS sent to a parent.
Before parting with any funds, the principal urged parents to double-check any perceived information with the school.
New Trick By Scammers Targeting Parents With Kids In High School