The Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) has warned people living in Rwanda of the rising threats of fraudulent schemes done against users of mobile money and mobile banking platforms. RIB says that in the last two months it received about 80 cases of people whose money was stolen from mobile phones. In these theft schemes, close to Rwf12 million was stolen. At least 46 people have been arrested in relation to committing these crimes and have been presented to prosecution that the law may take its course, RIB said. The volumes of mobile money transactions are said to have increased in the past months due to the measures put in place by the National Bank of Rwanda and telecommunication companies to remove charges on sending money via mobile money platforms. These measures were meant to encourage cashless transactions and prevent the potential spread of Covid-19 through the exchange of banknotes and coins. During this period, however, many cases of money theft by the use of technology have been registered. The victims of these schemes, according to RIB were those that did not conceal their secret pin numbers, and this made them vulnerable to theft. Here, RIB requested mobile money users to take serious measures to protect their pin numbers/codes. “We ask people living in Rwanda to protect their secret pins, avoid messages from strangers concerning money transactions, and also be cautious of people that call and impersonate as telecom company employees,” said Marie-Michelle Umuhoza, the Spokesperson of RIB. Umohoza says there is a campaign where RIB is sensitizing people about the theft schemes so that such crimes will be dealt with in the country. According to information from RIB, in order to arrest the people suspected of the theft done in about the last two months, RIB partnered with MTN Rwanda. When someone complains that their money has been stolen, RIB takes the step to ask the telecom company to block the money on the account to which it has been transferred. And later more investigations are undertaken to lay hold on the criminals in the scheme. RIB advises Rwandan citizens to provide information concerning such unhealthy schemes so that the criminals will be arrested and the law takes its course.
