Businesses, particularly restaurants and nightclubs, are facing a new threat as conmen employ a sophisticated scam to evade payment for their bills. Reports reveal that scammers have adopted a deceptive tactic involving the manipulation of mobile money messages through an illicit app available on the Google Play Store.

The perpetrators of this scam reportedly record themselves in action, as seen in a viral video recorded on Monday at a Nairobi establishment. In the video, the conmen demonstrate the process of copying their latest mobile money message and pasting it into the unauthorized mobile application.

The illicit app allows them to edit crucial details within the message, such as the transaction code and the specific bill amount. Subsequently, they resend the modified message to the mobile money account holder's phone, creating a false confirmation of payment to deceive the business owners.

These fraudsters specifically target venues where staff, such as waiters and attendants, lack access to mobile money phones that handle financial transactions. The scammers then present the manipulated message to the attendants as proof of settling the bill.

Some individuals involved in the scam express surprise at the level of detail with which they can manipulate the mobile money message. Concerns have been raised about the impact of this clever con, leading to the theft of goods worth millions.

"Savvy young men are creating fake mobile money transaction codes to trick retailers. This clever con has led to the theft of goods worth millions," stated a concerned Kenyan online.

This scam follows previous alerts raised by Kenyans about fraudsters utilizing a different scheme that targeted bank-to-mobile money transactions. In that scheme, perpetrators withdrew money from bank accounts and intentionally sent it to innocent Kenyans' mobile money accounts. The victims were then pressured to reverse the money on mobile money, diverting attention away from the bank account and complicating efforts to track the fraudsters.

Businesses and individuals are urged to exercise caution and stay vigilant against these evolving tactics employed by scammers in the realm of mobile money transactions.