IN SHORT: Mobile money loan apps have grown over the years in popularity in Kenya. But beware of this Facebook page impersonating Tala, a digital credit provider operating in Kenya.
The Facebook page TALA LOANS is offering instant loans of between KSh10,000 and KSh850,000 (about US$68 to $5,743) to Kenyans.
The account uses the name and graphics of Tala, a digital credit provider operating in Kenya.
A typical post by the page reads: “INSTANT LOANS available from 10,000 to 850,000 Call 0750837786.”
But is the page and its offerings to be trusted? We checked.
Fake page and fake offers
A reputable company would normally have well written texts accompanied by professionally prepared graphics and a website or app where applications are done.
This page has reposted a poorly written message – with random capitalisation and no punctuation – over and over and the account does not link to any website. As such, users are asked to apply for the loan using a phone number. This is a red flag.
In its posts, the page tells users that each loan amount attracts a specific registration fee that should be paid before they get the loans. Having to pay a fee to access a loan is a clear indication of a scam. Once users pay the “registration fee”, they never get the loan money.
Tala’s official Facebook page is verified and has over 790,000 likes. It can be accessed from the company’s website www.tala.co. The cell phone number provided by the suspicious Facebook page is not listed on the website or the official Facebook page.
The page TALA LOANS is fake and its loan offers are a scam.
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