Popular Pastor James Maina Ng’ang’a is counting his loses after losing over Sh600,000 in a series of swim swap scams.
The Neno Evangelism Centre has sounded the alarm over the fraud that has affected many Kenyans.
In a cautionary tale to his followers, the renowned televangelist shared how fraudsters manipulated SIM cards linked to his churches, draining over Ksh200,000 in one instance, and a total of Sh630,000 in multiple transactions.
Ng’ang’a’s ordeal began when an imposter successfully conducted a sim swap for a SIM card registered under his name at the telecom service provider’s regional outlet in Nakuru, leading to significant financial losses.
The pastor recounted discovering the fraud after being alerted by his Jerusalem church about a malfunctioning phone line.
A subsequent check revealed that another church-registered line had been compromised. Investigations at the service provider’s office in Nakuru revealed that the same individual had swapped two of Ng’ang’a’s registered SIM cards within a span of two days.
The pastor criticized the customer care staff for their laxity in verifying National Identification Cards, which he identified as a primary enabler of the fraud.
Ng’ang’a further warned Safaricom to be careful with the position they hold, saying that a competitor might rise up and take its place if it doesn’t put its house in order.
In response to the escalating incidents of sim swap fraud, the Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has intensified its efforts against electronic crime syndicates.
Safaricom has also moved to make it more difficult for sim swap fraud to occur, by making it harder to replace your line at just any agent. Users can now protect their sim cards by self-whitelisting them by dialing *100*100#.
This adds an extra layer of security, but is rather inconveniencing since future sim replacements can only take place at an official Safaricom Shop, and not just any agent.
Amid these challenges, Pastor Ng’ang’a urged his congregation to maintain their faith and resilience, emphasizing the importance of perseverance through difficult times.
“Seasons come and go. Do your work in all seasons, and leave the rest to God,” he advised during a sermon, highlighting the spiritual perspective with which he approaches such trials.
Pastor Ng’ang’a has reported the incident to the police.
Safaricom wameibia Pastor. pic.twitter.com/uvUlIKAFLu
— Kenya West (@KinyanBoy) February 15, 2024
