Mon, 29 May 2017 11:30:15 +0000
By CHIKUMBI KATEBE
UNSCRUPULOUS people are using the names of cabinet ministers on social media to swindle innocent citizens up to K100, 000.
Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development Ronald Chitotela has disclosed that many people have contacted him over a Facebook account offering them money under a secret empowerment project by the government.
He said some people were told that they required to pay US $250-US $500 as advance payment or subscription fees to be joined to a housing project or agricultural empowerment fund to be enlisted for agro-loans.
“I have received numerous phone calls from members of the public asking me on the progress of the housing project fund where they already sent money for listing.
“And I am also aware of some people who went to Sino Hydro where they claimed that the Minister of Infrastructure had sent them to collect K100, 000. There are many such scams and people should just be careful about who they decided to give or send their money to,” he said.
He explained that a PRF councilor has fallen prey to the scammers who ripped her of K5, 000 in a purported housing project selling high cost houses in Shang’ombo district at K50, 000.
He explained that he was not the only culprit in this scam as Minister of Finance Felix Mutati has also been a victim in recent rip-offs.
Information obtained by the Daily Nation has revealed that some Facebook and Whatsapp accounts have been created in the name of some ministers and have been used to offer empowerment schemes for unsuspecting citizens who were required to pay something to gain access.
A Facebook account said to belong to Mr Mutati once offered diplomatic jobs in West African missions with requirements such as valid passport, Grade 12 Certificate (additional qualifications added advantage) at a processing fee of US $300 per person to be refunded on appointment.
Meanwhile, a Facebook account purporting to belong to Ronald Kaoma Chitotela of Zambia Governance Foundation claimed that he was the Pambashe Member of Parliament and was inviting people to a secret agriculture fund to encourage farming as an economic backbone of Zambia.
