IN SHORT: This Facebook page posing as an asset finance company offering easy credit for motorbikes has reposted its adverts dozens of times to Facebook groups with thousands of members. But beware – it’s just another scam.
The Facebook page M-kopa loans motorbikes advertises motorbikes and invites Kenyan social media users to buy them on credit. It asks them to pay a deposit and settle the balance in instalments.
The page uses the name of M-Kopa, an asset finance company operating in Kenya. Its profile picture shows people dressed in green shirts with the company’s logo.
It promises users that they can get the motorbikes “within 24hrs” and claims to deliver them countrywide “within 6hours”. Also on offer are tuk-tuks, three-wheeled taxis popular in East Africa.
The page requires users to make their applications on WhatsApp or by phone through a listed phone number.
But is the page and the offers real? We checked.
Signs of an imposter
While legitimate organisations would normally have social media pages linked to working websites, this Facebook page does not have any. Users therefore have no access to information about the nature of this company. This is a red flag.
The page’s adverts are poorly punctuated and are repeated on different dates. This is an indication that they do not come from a professional business that cares about its image. Legit businesses have well-written adverts that are unique but send similar messages.
M-Kopa’s official Facebook page has over 293,000 followers and links to its website, m-kopa.com. It has also listed its official mobile phone contacts for Kenya, but the number provided by the suspicious Facebook page is not among them.
The suspicious page is impersonating M-Kopa and its offers are scams.
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