Police in Kalangala is hunting for a woman suspected of conning islanders of millions of shillings by promising to "multiply their cash many times using divine powers bestowed upon her by the heavens.
To execute the heist, the alleged con woman has been obtaining money through mobile money from the Kalangala archipelagos. Going by the name of 'prophet Lucy', and posing as a specially anointed person, the woman has been using several local radio stations on the islands to lure her victims into depositing at least Shs 37,000 on a particular mobile money number - promising to convert it into Shs 5 million.
It is not clear why 'prophet Lucy' asks for the specific sum of Shs 37,000, an equivalent to $10 but some of Lucy's victims have confessed that once you're have been lured into 'her system', she somehow convinces you to deposit more money to the tune of Shs 150,000 "to complete the steps to get the five million shillings."
After realising that they had been fleeced, some of the victims reported the matter to Kalangala Central police station. One of the victims, Patrick Kizito, a resident of Kalangala town council says Lucy asked him to deposit the required fee of Shs 37,000 and once he did, she asked for even more money if he wanted her to fulfil the Shs 5 million reward.
"I sent her Shs 32,000, and she told me to wait for about 30 minutes so she could send me She 10m in return. She called shortly after and told me she was actually sending me Shs 15 million instead but the money has got to be taxed. So she asked me to send an extra She 95,000 for the tax. I told her I don't have that kind of money, I even asked her to send me back at least She 15,000 off the initial Shs 32,000 and that is when she switched me off," Kizito narrated.
For Joseph Lubega, the 'prophet' defrauded him of over Shs 200,000 after promising to also reward him with Shs 5 million. When our reporter called Lucy on 0785946033, the number that she provides for the mobile money deposit, she said she was away in Mbale in eastern Uganda. The mobile number is registered under the name Namumbya Shaufah.
"I'm here in Mbale, you send Shs 37,000 but you must have two mobile money lines where I'm going to send you the Shs 5 million. Tell me what your name is and where you stay for me to pray for you and cleanse you of all the demons and curses. After you have sent the money, call me so I can immediately send you Shs 5 million," said 'prophet Lucy' when contacted.
One of the radio stations that Lucy has been using to fleece islanders declined to comment but continues to broadcast the messages urging people to send money to Lucy.
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