A 25-year-old woman who unknowingly helped a fraudster use her phone to execute a con scheme is in trouble after the phone was used to receive cash from a Community-Based Organisation official who was being conned.

Ronald Omondi Otieno was defrauded of Sh132,184 in a Visa scam while securing the documents for members of his CBO, and Maureen Njeri Mahihu is now facing fraud charges.

Mahihu has been charged with conspiracy to commit a misdemeanour in contravention of section 394 of the Penal Code after a “friend” used her to defraud the broker.

The suspect is accused of conspiring with others to commit an offence of obtaining money by pretence from Otieno, who had mobilised the money to assist members in securing the Visas.

Mahihu is accused of colluding with others, including the “friend” she had known for a few weeks, to defraud Otieno of the money.

Mahihu has also been charged with obtaining money by pretences contrary to section 313 of the Penal Code.

In the charge, Mahihu is accused of defrauding Otieno of Sh132,184 on diverse dates between June 6 and 13, 2025, jointly with others,s while pretending she was in a position to process a Canadian Visa for his (Otieno’s) clients, which she knew was false.

The accused person denied the charges before Senior Resident Magistrate Wandia Nyamu of the Makadara law courts and was released on a cash bail of ofSh90,0000. The case will be mentioned on November 3 for a pretrial.

Otieno had gone to the Immigration Department offices in Nyayo House when she met the woman who claimed to be in a position to help him get the Canadian Visas promptly.

Otieno informed the woman that there were many members of his community who needed visas to travel outside the country.

The two exchanged contacts and continued the communication, and the unidentified woman linked Otieno to a man said to be working at the Canadian Embassy in Nairobi, who was to facilitate the processing of the Visas.

Otieno immediately collected the money from members of his CBO who wanted the Visas.

The person later sent Otieno Mahihu’s telephone number and told him to send money to the number, which he did.

During investigations, Mahihu told the police that he had helped a woman who was a regular customer at a dry Drycleaning shop she worked at and never knew her well, and she never met Otieno or talked to her.

She told the investigators that the woman had told her that her phone had run out of charge and requested to receive money through her phone and withdraw it.

The accused person later learnt that her phone was being used in a crime. Neither the woman that Otieno met at Nyayo House nor the fraud suspect claiming to be working at the Canadian Embassy was arrested.