IN SHORT: Scammers continue to use the names of established businesses to steal your hard-earned money. In this report, we expose a Facebook account using the name of Tala, a well-known digital lender in Kenya, to scam users.
The Facebook account Tala Loan offers loans of different amounts to Kenyans.
It claims that users can borrow up to KSh70,000 (about US$537) and invites them to apply through a listed phone number.
To lure users, the account's adverts include images of wads of cash.
The account uses the name of Tala, a well-known digital lender operating in Kenya, to run its activities on Facebook.
Its adverts have been republished widely in dozens of Facebook groups with thousands of members.
But are the offers to be trusted? We checked.
Signs of scam
Despite claiming to represent Tala, the account does not link to the company's website or app. Instead, it asks users to submit applications via the phone number provided. This is a red flag because Tala has a functional website and app where customers can apply for loans and inquire.
The account advertises the loan offers using blurry images and republishes its ads across Facebook groups. These are common trends among fake accounts running bogus ads and desperate for attention.
Tala’s official Facebook page is verified and can be accessed from the company’s website, www.tala.co.ke. The cell phone number provided by the suspicious Facebook account is not listed on the website or the official Facebook page.
The Facebook account in question is fake and its offers are scams.
To help protect yourself from such scams, read our guide on how to spot them here.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
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Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
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