IN SHORT: Becky is a Kenyan TV drama series that premiered in July 2023 on Citizen TV. But don’t be scammed by this Facebook page using the main character’s name and her photos to offer promotions.
The Facebook page Becky Citizen frequently posts promotions on Facebook groups and offers users huge amounts of money.
The page uses the stage name and photos of Kenyan actor Lucy Maina, who plays the lead character in the TV drama series Becky. The show first aired in July 2023 on Citizen TV, the country’s most-watched station.
The page’s posts usually require little to no effort from users but come with a promise of financial rewards.
A typical post on the page reads: “Unategea kipindi Becky Ukiwa wapi sahi Taja county yako upokee SUPPER GIFT? Checking on comments nione Wangapi wako active.”
This mix of English and Kiswahili translates to: “Where are you following the Becky show from? Name your county and receive a super gift. I am checking the comments to see how many are active.”
The posts have attracted hundreds of likes and comments. They have been published here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
But is this Facebook page really run by the actor? We checked.
Signs of a scam
We checked the page’s history and found that the previous profile picture and cover photo featured Yasmeen Saiedi, another popular actor who played the main character on Kenyan TV show Maria on Citizen TV. This suggests the page might have been impersonating her too.
While the page has very little activity on its timeline, it has numerous posts about promotions on Facebook groups. Imposter accounts usually post promotions on Facebook groups with thousands of members but have little to no activity on their own timelines.
We checked the actor’s official Instagram account Lucy Maina and found no promotions offering money.
We also noted that the page in question replies to users in the comments sections, urging them to make further engagement privately. Requests for private engagement are usually clear indicators of a scam. This is because the pages will ask users to pay an “unlocking” or “registration” fee. But once you’ve paid this fee, there is no reward.
Africa Check has exposed many similar scams here, here and here, including one using Maina’s name.
The page in the actor’s stage name and its promotions are fake.
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