With the high level of joblessness in the country, many people have taken their “entrepreneurship” online, operating fake businesses on Facebook and reaping off unsuspecting or gullible people. They entice you with a quick fix be it a job, partner for the night or a million dollar deal and hundreds of people have fallen victim. Here are some of the scams you should be wary of.
Fake brokers
Allen Kobusingye thought Facebook was the place to save her the headache that comes with dealing with your normal broker, so when she landed on a page with several photos of houses allegedly on sale or for rent, she was sure her search was over. But, as Allen narrated to us, she was cheated by brokers after seeing a cool Naalya two-bedroomed house going for a very affordable Shs400,000. The fake “brokers” who had posted the photos actually knew the house was up for rent so they took her for a tour before they presented a fake “landlord” to whom she made a one-month rent deposit to book it. The next day, when she went back to complete the payment, she found other people moving in. It dawned on her that she had been conned after meeting the real landlord. She tried to call the brokers and as you would guess, their numbers were off.
Fake gadget pros
There are guys on Facebook that claim to sell brand new or “as good as new” gadgets. They entice their clients with very amazing offers. They will claim to offer an iPhone 7 Plus which goes for Shs3.4m on the open market for only Shs1.5m. Anyone in need of such a jaw dropping deal would not let this “golden opportunity” pass by.
“I ordered a Samsung Galaxy A3 after checking a post on Facebook. It was selling at 550,000 yet most of these gadgets go for 900k. The guy told me it was cheap because it was UK used but was as good as new. I asked for his shop and he said he would deliver at my location at no extra cost. I paid via mobile money and a boda boda man brought me a fake Chinese clone. When I called to complain, the number was off,” Anne Nanteza told us her ordeal. Facebook is also the platform where thieves are finding a ready market for stolen phones.
Fake betting experts
It is a public secret many youth in urban centres all over Uganda are addicted to sports betting. They believe staking Shs10,000 can get them Shs20m after 90 minutes. To meet the demands of those desperate to get rich, some “sharp Ugandans” have opened Facebook pages that offer betting tips on matches that they claim to be fixed. Some of these guys charge as low as Shs15,000 while others charge as much as $50 (Shs175,000). One Eddie narrated to us how he spent $50 to get betting tips and after receiving the money, the person supposed to give him the tips claimed they were still waiting for their source in Eastern Europe to receive it! No tips were offered but the other guy was richer. Others simply predict the scores and when they get it right it’s all good. When they don’t get the games right they claim an information lapse with their sources and can give you some free “sure win” tips.
Fake jobs
With job scarcity in the country, some people are milking the opportunity and making a killing pretending to be job connectors on Facebook. All a job seeker has to do is deposit with them Shs50,000 and within two weeks they get you that dream job. Their target clients are the vacists, university students and unemployed. They usually offer solutions for those seeking to be waitresses, cleaners, waiters, marketers, shop keepers and cooks. However, after paying the “connection fee”, that will be the last time you hear from them.
Fake furniture
Some crooks copy photos of genuine furniture dealers and post them as their own at give-away prices. These guys can advertise a sofa that goes for Shs7m at Nina Interiors for only Shs800,000. They organise for you to meet them in the vicinity of furniture workshops like in Nsambya and the time you pay a deposit is the last you will ever hear from them. Kampala furniture dealer Karberg Lyla recently exposed one of such guys. “I saw this guy posting my couches at Shs900,000 on OLX which is impossible,” she posted to warn people in Home Décor Network Kampala, a group of home improvement enthusiasts.
Immediately she posted Evelyn Miclovna another member of the group identified the fake furniture dealer as a guy who calls himself La Santos Don Pastor Blessed Angel, adding that he always changes his Facebook names. “He claims to sell other people’s items at attractive costs like Shs299,000 or Shs799,000,” she said. This guy usually disappears after taking the deposit.
“It’s such that such guys are killing the genuine online furniture business,” Tyra Kibuuka lamented.
Fake sugar mummies
Just like job connectors, these entice their clients with sleazy photos of women whose profiles read like “Rich woman working with UN is in the country on a month vacation and needs a young energetic man to satisfy her sexually in a posh hotel for the period. She is ready to have fun and give the best time of your life. If interested inbox for contact.”
“When you inbox them, they will give you a mobile money number to send the connection fee. They charge between Shs30,000 and Shs50,000. After that they simply block you. Of course you can’t go to police to report such a crime,” Willy who fell victim to such a scam told us.
Fake prostitutes
These claim to be selling their bodies for money but don’t be so enticed, they are there to lessen the guilt of buying somebody’s daughter or mother off the streets for the night. They post sleazy photos stating that they are in need of sex, complaining of loneliness or the weather. This is a “thirst trap” to which several have drowned. When contacted, their immediate demand is transport and at least Shs40,000 “to prepare” themselves adequately. Then you will wait for them at the agreed place till kingdom come.
Fake news
There is a plethora of fake blogs and websites out there trying to drive traffic to their sites. They bait people with alarmist headlines and twisted stories. They earn off google adverts placed on their sites. However to earn from these adverts, they need traffic hence the bogus alarming news. Recently, one blog perhaps made a killing after they claimed comedian Anne Kansiime had been arrested with loads of cocaine at Heathrow Airport in the UK. When contacted, she was at National Theatre preparing for a show and reminded us that another website had recently pronounced her dead. Next time you are online, make sure you don’t fall in such traps