Kenya: Beware of Facebook Page Impersonating Kenyan Digital Credit Provider

19 January 2023
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

IN SHORT: Facebook users should be wary of offers that sound too good to be true. Unfortunately, what appear to be loans from digital credit provider Zenka Kenya are not legitimate.

The Facebook page "Zenka online giving loans" is offering loans to Facebook users in Kenya.

The account uses the name and graphics of Zenka Kenya, a digital credit provider.

One of its posts, dated 16 January 2022, reads: "Hello,Do you know that you can benefit in ZENKA LOANS that has zero interest rate. Remember the loan is unsecured, no paper, no long procedures and long waiting period."

It adds that loans from KSh10,000 to KSh350,000 will be processed within 15 minutes. It asks users to submit their name, ID and phone numbers, their county and how much they wish to borrow.

Several other posts by the page give similar details, using the logo and graphics of Zenka Kenya.

But is the Facebook page legit? We checked.

Fake Facebook page, fake offers

The "page transparency" section of the Facebook page shows it was created on 25 June 2022. It has about 2,000 followers.

This section does not include any website address, which would be unusual for a genuine company. The number on the Facebook page - 0104 299487 - is also not on Zenka's website.

Zenka's official Facebook page has over 59,000 followers and includes the company's website www.zenka.co.ke. It was created on 25 November 2018. The contact phone number on the website - 020 7650878 - also matches one listed on the Facebook page. No loan offers like the ones we are investigating are advertised on it.

Zenka has cautioned its Facebook users that the unofficial page is trying to scam unsuspecting Facebook users.

"These are not official Zenka pages. Kindly call us through the official Zenka helpline for any questions or concerns at +254 (0) 207650878. Don't get scammed," it has posted on Facebook.

To protect yourself against scams, read our guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them. Report any suspicious Facebook posts by clicking "report post" on the top right of any post.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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