David Cheromei, one of the athletes’ managers based in the United States of America (USA) has called on athletes to be vigilant against fraudsters who have created many facebook pages claiming him, luring and obtaining money falsely.
So far, three suspects in connection with the fraud have been arrested and will be presented in court in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet on Wednesday and Thursday
More to follow
Cheromei, who is a registered manager by Athletics Kenya has come out to clear the air that some individuals are riding on his good name to earn money.
“Basically, these suspects created a Facebook account very identical to mine ‘David Cheromei’. They also created a Whatsapp account and used both to reach out to various athletes asking them to pay for certain fees to get them invitations to travel abroad. One of the suspect has already issued several invitations using my name,” said Cheromei.
The three suspects include Dennis Kipkurui, Maurice Kiprop and Brain Kipchirchir.
He said that many profiles have been created misrepresenting him for their own personal financial gains.
“I have brought this up to Facebook on numerous occasions, as I have several of my friends, and Facebook says that it does not violate any community standards. This is not true. Also someone is pretending to be me or working for me and issues overseas travel invitations. Thank the Lord, several suspects have been arrested and ready to be taken to court but some are still out at large,” narrated Cheromei.
He questioned how it all began “Are you a victim of this fraudulent activity? Were you conned by these suspects pretending to be ‘David Cheromei’ or working for me or my organization? Were you promised an invitation letter or were you issued an invitation letter with my name without my knowledge? Please go record your statement and take the proper evidence including Mpesa transaction or Bank Statements.”
He warned that if any of the above has happened then the aggrieved party should report to Iten or Kaptagat police station.
“Together we will stop fraud and those who want easier money without toiling for it
Cheromei, who is a coach, manager and missionary has been the brains behind formation of several organizations, assisting many athletes but some individuals are trying to ruin his reputation and name.
“This is bad for me as a person as well as for the athletes and children that I have been helping for so many years. People with the best intentions are sending money to someone who is not delivering the promised goods and services. An athlete does not get the agent’s representation they seek, and the charitable donations never make it to the charity. They go to the fraudsters bank account and nothing happens. This makes me look like a horrible person. For that I want them located and arrested. I also do not want them doing business in the sport of athletics in any way, shape or form if they are athletes or coaches,” he added.
He said that he wants to help athletes because many innocent athletes are willing to pay any amount to get a trip abroad and they can fall into this conman’s hands.
“I was told there are five suspects but I see four on the charge sheet. I believe there is still a lot out there! There are some suspects in America too. It’s like they have a wide range of networks.” This investigation is ongoing to find all those involved.