DCI warns public on new trend by car hire fraudsters in Murang’a, Kiambu
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has cautioned members of the the public of the emergence of a new crime trend in Murang’a and Kiambu.
According to the detectives, unsuspecting victims are being hoodwinked into buying motor vehicles hired out to swindlers who pose as genuine customers, only to forge the car documents, advertise the cars for sale and ultimately sell them out.
“Forging details in the vehicles’ original documents (which detectives suspect are shared by rogue car hire agents) the cons go ahead to fake the identity of genuine car owners, making it difficult for their to-be customers to detect any discrepancies after conducting search,” revealed detectives.
It is until the innocent buyers demand that car logbooks be transferred into their names that they realize they were duped into illegal deals as well as lost a huge percentage of the cost of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, the car hire agents will have moved to the police to report that cars they hired out were long past the agreed date of return, and on being tracked down, they are found in the hands of victims who have no idea they are suspects in motor vehicle thievery.
According to the DCI, several such incidents, have been reported to their customer service desk and on social media in the last few days.
The DCI is urging members of the public to beware of the tricks of the con as they work to dismantle the ring.
“This caution adds to the warnings issued previously by the DCI on existing fraudulent online vendors who trade without any physical addresses or locations, some of whom transact in stolen and/or counterfeit products that often get victims in trouble with the law,” stated DCI.
