The National Police Serve has flagged a social media account impersonating the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the administration police Gilbert Masengeli.
In a statement on Sunday, September 29, 2024, police warned members of the public against interacting with the accounts.
According to the police, Masengeli does not have any personal social media accounts, and that the ones on social media are run by criminals.
“We wish to caution the general public against interacting with the multiple fake accounts purporting to belong to the DIG Gilbert Masengeli. The existing accounts are maintained by unscrupulous imposters with criminal intent to defraud unsuspecting persons,” NPS stated.
“Please note that DIG Gilbert Masengeli does not operate any personal social media account and only transacts his official duties through the NPS official communications platforms.”
Fake Masengeli account
One of the accounts checked by K24 Digital had accumulated over 3,600 followers as of Sunday, September 29, 2024. The account was created on August 7, 2024, under the name Gilbert Masengeli. The operators of the account have been sharing posts, some claiming to be originating from Masengeli, who previously served as the acting Inspector General of police.
The imposters are also reported to be impersonating Eliud Lagat, the Deputy Inspector General in charge of Kenya Police.
“We wish to caution the general public against interacting with the multiple fake accounts purporting to belong to the DIG Eliud Lagat. The existing accounts are maintained by unscrupulous imposters with criminal intent to defraud unsuspecting persons,” NPS stated on Saturday, September 28, 2024.
Just like Masengeli, police said Lagat does not operate personal social media accounts.
“Please note that DIG Eliud Lagat does not operate any personal social media account and only transacts his official duties through the NPS official communications platforms,” police added.
Impersonators normally create social media accounts with names and photos of influential persons in society to gain massive following, and sometimes use the accounts to dupe unsuspecting members of the public.
