The Ministry of ICT, Innovation, and Youth Affairs has warned Kenyans against falling prey to a new scam around the Huduma Namba.
In a statement on Twitter, the Ministry shared a message that has been doing rounds on social media and asked Kenyans to ignore it.
According to the Ministry, the fraudsters are sending messages to unsuspecting Kenyans and threatening to close their lines citing failure in their Huduma Namba registration.
At the end of their message, the fraudsters offer a number where you can reach them. Anyone who calls is then threatened by the fraudsters before being conned.
Here is the message they are sending to unsuspecting Kenyans: “Due to failure in your Huduma Namba registration details, we will close your line. Contact Huduma Centre for correction…).
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The government has urged Kenyans not to respond to the message, adding that anyone who receives the text should alert relevant agencies for action to be taken on the fraudsters.
“It has come to our attention that citizens are receiving the attached message. If you do get it, do not act on it and immediately report the sender number to your ISP. Be warned that it is fake...It is not a message from Government be alert... Do not be conned,” the Ministry posted on Twitter.
In a separate post, the Ministry of Interior noted that messages from the government regarding Huduma Namba are not sent from a landline or phone number.
"Ignore this and similar scams. All SMS notifications from GoK are sent from HUDUMA NAMBA — not a landline or mobile phone number. Remember, Huduma Namba cards are FREE. Please share this message with others," the Ministry of Interior said.
Meanwhile, the government is currently issuing Huduma Namba cards to Kenyans who registered during the mass registration conducted in 2019.
Those whose cards are ready receive messages from the government giving directions on where to collect the card from. It is this avenue that scammers have taken advantage of to defraud Kenyans.
