Police arrest suspect in fake USD280,000 gold scam in Nairobi involving a Canadian man

Detectives from the DCI Nairobi Regional Office arrested one Abbas Bardu Omuyoma, aka Ishmael, a fraudster linked to a gold scam that defrauded a Canadian investor out of USD280,000 (Sh36 million).

Ishmael’s arrest comes on the heels of a formal complaint made on September 1, 2025, police said.

Together with an accomplice who remains at large, Ishmael orchestrated a sophisticated con, luring the unsuspecting investor with promises of 550 kilos of gold nuggets and bars purportedly sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Believing he was entering into a legitimate business deal, the investor transferred USD280,000 via USDT, only to find himself empty-handed; no gold ever materialised as promised.

Following the complaint, an intensive investigation was launched.

Through forensic leads, detectives trailed Ishmael, arresting him along Dennis Pritt Road in Nairobi on September 16, 2025.

He was set for arraignment on Wednesday, police said. Meanwhile, detectives are hot on the trail of his accomplice, who is still at large.

This is the latest such an arrest to take place amid operations on gold scammers in the country.

Police say most of the suspects behind the incidents have been arrested and arraigned and their cases remain active in courts.

The operations have been mounted in the past years after many foreigners complained they had been scammed in the city.

Nairobi was increasingly turning to be the hub for fake gold deals, which prompted the operations.

Police say they have dozens of cases of complaints from foreigners who say they had been conned by Kenyans pretending to be selling gold.

In efforts to address such incidents, the DCI had asked embassies in the country to join the fight against the vice by urging them to advise their nationals engaged in trade to follow procedures.

“We urge the Embassies (High Commissions) to advise their nationals coming in for business to be apprised of con business of gold going on in the country and first contact the Department of Mines and Geology for the procedure that pertains to buying and selling of gold and other precious metals,” the DCI said.