Citizen TV has been forced to respond following a viral poster advertising auditions for popular drama series Maria, which has been doing rounds online.
The media house distanced itself from the poster urging Kenyans to be vigilant and avoid falling victim to con schemes.
"Buyer Beware: Kindly be advised that there are NO Maria show auditions taking place and Royal Media Services will NEVER ask you for any registration fees for auditions," a statement by Citizen TV read in part.
The fake poster was shared by a fake account named after Maria actress Yasmin Saidd, and alleged to resume productions of season 2 of the show with immediate effect due to public demand.
The conmen further claimed that they are looking for 20 people who are good actors and can be trained to feature in the popular, and proceeded to avail a mobile phone number through which they can be contacted.
The conmen have in the past attempted such schemes, with Citizen TV warning Kenyans of such con games in the year 2020.
Fraudsters have targeted unsuspecting Kenyans due to the huge followership the Citizen TV series has garnered since it's inaugural premier. Prior to taking a break, Maria emerged as one of the most-watched tv shows in the country.
A GeoPoll report titled Television and Radio Audience Ratings for Q4 2019 in Kenya: A GeoPoll Audience Measurement Report released in January 2020, ranked Maria as the most-watched TV programme in Kenya.
"In Q4 2019, the program had 31.77% share on average from 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. The rating data showed that Maria was more popular with women than men. On average across all days, the show has a 3% higher share among women than men," the report revealed.
Maria is produced and casted by Giffy Pictures, a company owned and run by Citizen TV power couple Lulu Hassan and Rashid Abdallah.
