24-year-old woman arrested for posing as AirBnB owner, conning clients in 4 counties

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a suspected fraudster purporting to own fancy AirBnB apartments in Nairobi, Kiambu, Kisumu and Mombasa counties.

The suspect, 24-year-old Sheila Wakesho Matasa, was nabbed in Ruaka town at a bank lobby as she sought assistance over a frozen account following multiple suspicious transactions.

According to the DCI, Wakesho had created online accounts claiming ownership of ghost AirBnBs in Mombasa which she used to extort money from unsuspecting clients seeking accommodation.

“In a well-choreographed scheme that has milked both local and foreign Coast-goers to the bones, the daring Wakesho opened several social media platforms purporting to own a number of AirBnBs in the Coastal region of Mombasa, drawing a followership of over 10K unsuspecting fun lovers,” DCI stated.

In the scheme, DCI explained, Wakesha hoodwinked her clients by copying information from fancy AirBnBs on the internet and compiling them to make her accounts more appealing.

She would then go ahead to create an online payment platform for bookings where she used multiple Sim cards registered with stolen IDs interchangeably for M-Pesa payments to avoid detection and a bank account.

“After netting her targets who could only reach her online, the quiet suspect with loud deals directed them to channel booking fees to M-Pesa Till no. 8981656 or Paybill no. 400200 ACC name: 01100252088001, after which she would vanish leaving them stranded along beaches, bus stations, SGR terminals and airports,” DCI noted.

Some of her accounts on Facebook have been revealed as Lifestyle Beachfront AirBnB, Mombasa Raha AirBnB and Shah Tours.

Wakesha was nabbed after a banker, while depositing money to her, detected the dubious activity and alerted sleuths.

DCI stations in Kilimani, Kasarani, Thika, Kiambaa and Kiambu are processing files for her arraignment, as she awaits collection by other counties where her crimes have been reported.