The Facebook page M-Gas Kenya is offering Kenyans cooking gas cylinders on credit.
According to the page, users can get these cylinders by paying a deposit of KSh500 (about US$3.80) and a daily instalment of KSh25 (about $0.19) for eight months.
The page claims it provides free countrywide delivery and encourages users to order via the WhatsApp number provided.
It also uses graphics with the logo of M-Gas to advertise the offers.
M-Gas is a company providing affordable cooking gas solutions to Kenyans. The company, in partnership with Safaricom, Kenya’s largest telecoms company, gives users a gas cylinder and a gas cooker at no upfront cost. With the help of a smart meter included in the setup, users only pay for the gas they need to use through mobile money apps. The gas disconnects automatically when a client uses it up to the amount paid for and reconnects once a top-up is made.
The page has garnered over 11,000 followers and republishes its posts across Facebook groups with thousands of followers.
But is the page and the offers to be trusted? We checked.
Imposter page
The page listed its website as www.m-gas.com, but the link did not open when we clicked on it. This is the first clue it could be fake. Legit companies have functional websites or apps where customers can make enquiries and place orders.
We also noted that the page has a mixed and confusing identity. In addition to the M-Gas logo, its posts include logos of companies in Russia and the Philippines. This suspicious branding is uncharacteristic of a reputable company.
The page advertises the offers using blurry images and republishes its ads across Facebook groups. These are common trends among fake pages running bogus ads and desperate for attention.
The official website for M-Gas company is www.mgas.ke. The website has provided links to its social media pages. Its Facebook page is M-Gas. The cell phone number provided by the suspicious Facebook page is not listed on the company's website or its official Facebook page.
The Facebook page in question is fake, and its offers are scams.
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