Fresh from Losing iPhone to Being Conned Ksh 20K: Ruth K’s Ordeal

In a recent YouTube video, she explained the desperation she felt after losing her phone, which held important personal projects and information. To get it back, she offered a Ksh30,000 reward.

A False Lead

After posting the reward, Ruth received many messages from people who claimed to know where the phone was. One man, who said he was a technician, stood out. He claimed the iPhone had been brought to him.

Ruth asked for proof, and the man sent a photo of the back of a phone. She admitted that, in her desperation, she believed it was hers. "I thought it was mine.

I trusted him because I was desperate to get the phone back," she said.

The Unravelling Scam

The man demanded Ksh20,000, or 75% of the reward, before he would hand over the phone. Ruth’s personal assistant agreed to the deal and sent the money.

Immediately after the payment, the man's number went dead. When they tried to trace the shop's location, they found nothing.

“Even when we suggested coming to his shop to collect the phone and then pay, he objected. That was when I realised I had been scammed.”

Ruth described the experience as both a financial and emotional blow. She learnt a hard lesson about how easily scammers can exploit people in a vulnerable state.

A Painful Lesson

Ruth’s story sparked conversations online about the growing problem of phone theft in Kenya and how it has created new opportunities for scammers. Many of her followers shared their sympathy, while others warned against making advance payments in similar situations.

For Ruth, the loss of the phone is a painful memory, but the bigger lesson remains desperation can make anyone a target.