Kenyans Lost $120 Million to Cryptocurrency Scams within the Past Financial Year — Government Official

Kenyans are believed to have misplaced as a lot as $120 million to cryptocurrency scammers within the final monetary 12 months, a authorities official has stated. The official, nevertheless, recommended the variety of Kenyans shedding funds this manner will be lowered if the media helps by disseminating the correct data.

Media Told to Offer Guidance

A Kenyan cupboard secretary has claimed his fellow countrymen misplaced about $120 million to crypto scammers within the final monetary 12 months. The secretary, Joe Mucheru, added that many Kenyans are getting scammed as a result of they lack the right data.

In his remarks whereas talking at a convention targeted on regulation and order, Mucheru recommended the variety of these struggling after shedding funds to criminals will be lowered if the media performs its half. He defined:

I feel at the same time as you report and examine these points, you can too be giving individuals steering on the course, the place they should make investments, how they should defend themselves.

Mucheru additionally inspired the sharing of concepts and data between the federal government and the media. Doing this, he stated, allows the events to collaborate even additional.

Kenya, similar to many different African nations, is plagued with scams which can be packaged as reputable cryptocurrency initiatives. For occasion, in December 2021, a report from Bitcoin.com News acknowledged {that a} Kenyan businessman was going through allegations of defrauding buyers via his Aidos Kuneen cryptocurrency. The report stated buyers within the businessman’s rip-off crypto misplaced over $140 million.

Therefore, along with giving steering to Kenyans, Mucheru additionally urged Kenyan media retailers to contemplate changing into repositories for data that can be utilized by buyers. He stated: “You ought to actually construct the repository of a variety of the knowledge that individuals really need.”

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