Rwanda National Police

In a bid to curb illegal activities of fraudsters and conmen, Rwanda National Police (RNP) is calling for strong partnerships with residents and the business community, which requires them to provide timely reports to police whenever they experience or suspect a fraudulent activity.

The message was delivered on July 22, in Gatsibo District, as part of RNP’s nationwide sensitization campaigns to address challenges to the rule of law, security and safety.

The campaign was conducted in Ngarama Sector, attracting over 800 residents and local leaders in the district.

During the discussions, the District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO) of Gatsibo, Inspector Roger Rwakayiro, noted that conmen usually employ modern tools such as the use of internet to cheat or defraud unsuspecting victims.

Some of their activities include the use of Short Message Services (SMS) to lie to people that they have won a certain amount of money or goods – yet in reality what they want is to cheat their victims.

“The menace of fraudsters has a negative impact on an economy and creates an environment of mistrust among communities. Therefore, we should all join together and fight this danger and ensure that it has no place in our society,” he said.

“Once you experience a fraudulent activity, or suspect someone of being a fraudster, immediately alert police, or report to local authorities, so instant investigations can be conducted to apprehend the suspects and protect our society.”

He also cautioned that due to the advances in technology, specific services such as mobile money transfers are often targeted by criminals in order to cheat people of their hard earned money.

“Those who use services like MTN Mobile Money and Tigo Cash should be careful at all times. We have over the years arrested suspects who stealthily accessed passwords of other people’s phones and illegally transferred their money. We should continue working together to put an end to such activities,” he said.

The Executive Secretary of Ngarama Sector, Dominique Iyakaremye, commended RNP for the useful information it delivers to the public, and urged residents to desist from collaborating with fraudsters and other criminals.

During that same campaign, RNP officers reached out to over 350 secondary school students and sensitized them about Rwandan laws, as well as how to play their role in securing Rwanda’s safety, through community policing.