{"id":2806,"date":"2022-08-28T15:30:02","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T15:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/countysplash.co.ke\/?p=2806"},"modified":"2022-08-28T15:30:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-28T15:30:02","slug":"online-chama-the-new-online-scam-in-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=2806","title":{"rendered":"Online Chama~ the new online scam in town?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Anne Chebet, Bungoma<\/code><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Nelly Khisa was introduced to an online chama by\na friend, she did not know that she was getting herself into an arrangement that\nwould lead her to lose money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was excited to get an opportunity where she would\nbuy a 3-piece modern suitcase set in an easy and convenient way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI joined a suitcase chama where we contributed ksh.\n930 each so that when your turn comes, you get a set of three suitcases. We\nwere ten members, and the suitcases were going at ksh. 9300,\u201d she said in a\nphone interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She recounts that at first, the merry-go-round was\ndoing well, but when it was her turn to get the much-anticipated suitcase, the\nsuitcases were not delivered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Deborah Kisongochi who has run successful online Chamas for three years <\/code><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI contributed the money as required, but when my turn\nto get the suitcases came, nothing was delivered to me,\u201d said Khisa<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nelly engaged the group leader for two weeks, and\nnothing was forthcoming, forcing her to give up on the matter. \u201cI decided to\nleave the chama because it had become stressful to ask for the suitcases. I\nlater had an agreement with the group leader that she would refund my money by\nJuly 30, but that has never happened,\u201d Khisa told County Splash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another case, Emmily Nyasiri lost her money to an\nacquaintance who introduced her to an online merry-go-round. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe introduced me to a WhatsApp group where we\ncontributed ksh. 300 weeklies. Every Friday, members sent money to the group\nleader (my acquaintance), who would then send it to one of us.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nyasiri narrates that by the third week, members had\nalready started complaining that she had not sent them their money, and when\nmembers raised the concerns, the group leader was adamant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it was my turn to receive the money, she sent\nhalf the amount when we insisted that she refunds us or money, she removed all\nof us from the group,\u201d she recounted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with Deborah Kisongochi, who has run\nsuccessful online chamas for three years, Miss Kisongochi admitted that while\nonline chamas are formed for genuine reasons, it is also associated with risks,\nand some are using the opportunity to con others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The journalist cum businesswoman revealed that she started\nonline chamas when she ventured into business and considered the idea as a way\nof increasing sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I introduced money chamas, we created a group of trusted members who contributed money frequently, and members managed to achieve their goals such as buying property,\u201d ~Ms Kisongochi<\/code><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe strategy allowed customers to pay for the\nproducts in installments, attracting more customers and increasing sales,\u201d\nnarrated Kisongochi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Kisongochi, she later introduced money\nchamas, which became a good saving strategy for the members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I introduced money chamas, we created a group of\ntrusted members who contributed money frequently, and members managed to\nachieve their goals such as buying property.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She further admitted that the strategy contributed to\nher personal fulfillment, as she enjoys seeing women and youth making\nsignificant economic steps by investing in the chamas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has helped me to know how to save, but most\nimportantly, it has helped other people to develop financial discipline and\nachieve their goals,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have had several police cases involving serial defaulters who fail to honor agreements. Some of them have become well-known that no group is willing to accommodate them,\u201d revealed Kisongochi. <\/code><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

However, she reveals that it is not an easy journey,\nciting that it is time-consuming to do background checks before admitting\nsomeone to a group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She mentioned that most of her members are people she\nknows or members referred to by close family and friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kisongochi revealed that there are several defaulters\nin Bungoma who take advantage of online chamas to con people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have had several police cases involving serial\ndefaulters who fail to honor agreements. Some of them have become well-known\nthat no group is willing to accommodate them,\u201d revealed Kisongochi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She cautioned members of the public against joining\nsaving groups without understanding the motive behind the group, especially\nfrom social media platforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It is risky to trust someone from social media\nbecause there are hundreds of pseudo accounts operated by individuals with\nmalicious intentions,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the challenges, Kisongochi maintains that high\nlevels of financial discipline and good leadership are paramount. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of these chamas are draining. I have lost\nfriends, I have lost reputation at some point, I have lost focus as a leader,\nand we have experienced hard times, especially during the corona pandemic, but\nI have tried to be financially disciplined and demonstrated good leadership\nskills to maintain them,\u201d she narrated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

End<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Anne Chebet, Bungoma When Nelly Khisa was introduced to an online chama by a friend, she did not know that she was getting herself into an arrangement that would lead her to lose money. She was excited to get an opportunity where she would buy a 3-piece modern suitcase set in an easy and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-kenya-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOnline Chama~ the new online scam in town? - Horizon News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/horizonnews.co.ke\/?p=2806\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Online Chama~ the new online scam in town? - Horizon News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Anne Chebet, Bungoma When Nelly Khisa was introduced to an online chama by a friend, she did not know that she was getting herself into an arrangement that would lead her to lose money. 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