Serious Crimes Detectives on Friday arrested a suspect believed to have obtained millions of shillings from Kenyans in a fraudulent scheme known as Amazon Web Worker after she jetted into the country from the United States.
Stacey Marie Parker Blake, 50, was arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport minutes after she had disembarked from her flight.
"The suspect was arrested following intensive investigations by serious crimes detectives that linked her to the Ponzi scheme that has milked the pockets of unsuspecting investors dry.
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"In a well coordinated and orchestrated scheme, investors were duped into investing their money in an online app known as Amazon Web Worker, on the premise that they would earn huge profits of upto 38% for a deposit lasting only seven days.
"Social media platforms were awash with advertisements wooing Kenyans to the mouthwatering scheme, that promised to double one’s deposits in a month," DCI said on Twitter.
DCI further said in one such advertisement, investors who deposited Sh100,000 were promised Sh351,000 after 30 days.
"All one needed for his/her application to be successful was to register their personal details such as full names, M-Pesa account details & mobile phone numbers in the online App.
"Unsuspecting Kenyans downloaded the App in their hundreds, registered and made their deposits. Some referred their spouses, children and close friends to the scheme in a bid to make a fortune overnight.
"It is not until when the App was deleted from the internet without prior notice, that the investors discovered they had been duped. They were shocked to learn that the App was not in any way linked to Amazon, a multinational technology company based in the United States," DCI added.
Also recovered from her was the drug used in stupefying her victims, suspected to be used in the treatment of panic attacks.
"The app went down with deposits worth hundreds of millions of shillings from gullible investors, who had hoped to hit the jackpot, once their deposits earned profits. Some of the crestfallen investors trooped to DCI headquarters to seek assistance from our detectives, who immediately swung into action," DCI revealed.
Detectives managed to link Stacey to the syndicate, after painstaking investigations revealed that she had pay-bill accounts in her name, that had a balance of Sh50 million, believed to be deposits made by the unsuspecting victims.
"Serious Crimes Detectives are currently pursuing other suspects, believed to be part of the syndicate. Meanwhile, Stacey is in police custody pending arraignment in court, on charges of money laundering, computer fraud among other charges," DCI concluded.
