There is also no threat of jail time in the message from M-Pesa. You can use the numbers to sign up or verify for any services like Telegram, Facebook, Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, Viber, Line, WeChat, KakaoTalk etc. Other differences include the date format, lack of spacing and punctuation. You can receive SMS online with the listed numbers at SMS24. In the manipulated image, the money was purportedly deposited by the “Hustler Fund Kitty” while M-Pesa's message refers to the “Hustler Fund.” The latter uses a 24-hour military time in their messages while the false screenshot shows a 12-hour clock. Safaricom spokesman Chris Karanja said the message was "not from Safaricom".ĪFP Fact Check received sample messages from a subscriber granted a hustler fund loan and spotted differences with the screenshot making the rounds online. However, a misinterpretation of the regulations sparked concern about the risk of defaulting borrowers being thrown in jail.Īround the same time, the alleged M-Pesa text message began circulating on social media. On November 11, 2022, Kenya’s treasury published draft regulations for the scheme's custodians who are liable to “a fine not exceeding 10 million shillings or a term of imprisonment not exceeding five years, or to both” if guilty of misappropriating funds or similar financial offences. Ruto styled himself as a self-made businessman eager to boost access to financial services for the country’s poorest citizens. The fund was a pillar of Ruto’s election campaign this year. ![]() Interest is an annual eight per cent, charged daily, with capital and interest repayment in 14 days. This app is designed to create realistic models of chat rooms and text messages. One of the best fake text apps available on the Google play store, Fake Text Messages is completely free. The so-called hustler fund is a low-interest credit scheme allowing Kenyans to borrow up to 50,000 shillings. You may also like: 7 Free Fake Video Call Apps WhatsMock. Screengrab of the false Facebook post, taken on December 7, 2022 The message ended with a purported warning: “Default on payment, and you will be taken to Kamiti.” Kamiti is a maximum-security prison in Kenya. Penalties for loan defaulters include higher interest rates but not jail time.Ī screenshot of a text message purportedly sent by M-Pesa confirming to a user that they had received 47,500 Kenyan shillings (about $385) from the “Hustler Fund Kitty” was shared in multiple Facebook posts (see here, here and here) days before the fund was officially launched on December 1, 2022, by Kenya’s President William Ruto. An official at Safaricom, the company that operates M-Pesa, confirmed to AFP Fact Check that the message was fake. But the claim is false the message has been fabricated and does not match M-Pesa’s standard messaging style. ![]() ![]() Facebook posts in Kenya have shared a picture of a text message purportedly from mobile money service M-Pesa warning users of the government’s newly launched low-interest credit scheme that they risk imprisonment if they default on their payments.
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