Mwosho Mmoja! Scammed by Gadgets 254

You’ve probably seen one today – a social media post that really got you salivating to be a beneficiary of the good deal being propagated. That’s exactly what attracted me. A page advertising mobile phones and smart TVs at very competitive rates came across my Facebook timeline, and I immediately loved what I saw. I liked the page and was always abreast with what they had on offer, from their periodic posts.

Trust Built on Lies

Most people around me have accused me of not ‘spoiling myself’ for personal achievements and the good things that happen in my life. This, I am guilty of. After getting the final payment for a gig I’ve been working on since 2024, I decided to buy something as a trophy for the hard work I’d put in – a 46” smart TV.

I already have a plug, or so I thought. I had liked this page for close to a year and somehow believed that they were legit. I’d mention to my friends of my plan to upgrade my home TV when I had the means. I now recall some of my friends warning me of online scams but didn’t give them much attention as I’ve bought things onlines for a very long time and never fell victim.

The page in question is Gadgets 254 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090134028709. I immediately called the number displayed on the page asking what they had on offer for a 46-inch smart TV. The guy quickly sent me a video of a curved Samsung smart TV, with a price tag of KSh 52,000. This was inclusive of delivery, a wall bracket and installation. He sent me an MPesa till number asking that I forward him the message as soon as I’d made the payment. Isn’t this a great deal?

I made the payment and forwarded the message to this ‘sales rep’, mobile number +254759895029 registered under the name Daniel Kamau. The till is registered under the name Vishnu Imports. Once I made the payment things began spiraling in the wrong direction. Daniel promised to make the delivery on the same day and I immediately sent in a location pin via WhatsApp.

On calling Daniel later that evening he said that they couldn’t make the delivery that day as one of his colleagues was on leave and were stretched by the deliveries they had to make that day. He promised to make my delivery early the next day. I went to bed a little uneasy but clung to hope that they’d make good their promise.

The next day I called Dan at around 11am enquiring why they were yet to deliver my TV. He claimed that his “Mhindi” boss stated that my KSh 52,000 payment wasn’t enough for a 46-inch smart TV. I was now turning desperate, and enquired further on what I could do, He added further that the 46-inch TVs had run out of stock, but he could hook me up with a 75” TV if I paid an extra KSh 10,000, and I did!

“Pumbavu Zangu!”. My phone calls to Dan went unanswered, my comments on their page were hastily deleted, I got blocked from their Facebook page and my number was deleted from Dan’s line. He even forgot about me and when I called days later, he asked who I was. I must mention that Dan is very soft spoken and super convincing. He apologized for the delay and lack of communication, and even assured that I’d have my delivery made eventually! I had to accept after 3 days of dealing with Dan that I’d been conned.

Why was I conned? You ask

• The Gadgets 254 page Facebook is pretty convincing. They use enticing language, have videos of “them” delivering and installing gadgets in client premises. They even show the client faces, including children for God’s sake!
• A typical 46-inch QLED smart TV retails for nothing under KSh 100k. Why was I fooled? The name of the page stated “Ex-UK” (they may have changed it already), I obviously assumed that this are refurb or used units imported from the United Kingdom.
• By them asking me to pay to a Safaricom Till number, as opposed to sending to an individual, did the trick.  The Till is registered under the name VISHNU IMPORTS.
• The page runs adverts, and has no single negative comment or post. They even have reels showing screenshots of how customers appreciate their good work.
• The “Sales Rep” is pretty convincing.

The Red flags I missed

• Almost all their posts have the same pattern. You’ll see 10 reactions, but on clicking on comments, a user will ask whether the item is available, and the admin will respond by saying “Call or WhatsApp person x on a phone number provided for orders and delivery”. The admins monitor the page 24/7 and take down any negative comments on the page.
• They failed to deliver after giving them 52k, me and my “pumbavu zangu” decided to add an extra 10k to reinforce their con game!
• There wasn’t even a single positive review or testimony directly from any users on their Facebook page
• The page history was very questionnable. Created in 2023, Gadgets 254 has changed names over 5 times. They may currently be operating under a different name as you read this.

What Next?

I’ve so far been contacted by two victims conned by the same guys. We choose different paths to ensure that justice is served eventually. You could start by reporting the page and such others who con unsuspecting users, to prevent others from falling victiim. Stay woke people.