Former Malawian Minister of Natural Resources Eisenhower Mkaka says he becomes the latest public figure to be targeted by online fraudsters after scammers gain control of his WhatsApp account. Mkaka reports that he receives a phone call from a Nigerian number. The caller tells him he is from Parliament and invites him into a WhatsApp interaction, according to his account. He says the scam succeeds quickly—he loses control of his WhatsApp account within minutes—leaving him humiliated by what he describes as being caught off guard.
Both reports describe the incident as part of a wider pattern of WhatsApp-based fraud in which callers use international numbers and claims of official connections to trick victims into engaging with scammers. Mkaka’s disclosure brings further attention to the use of social engineering tactics in these scams, particularly when they involve impersonation of institutions and rapid attempts to take over messaging accounts. The sources do not provide details on any money transfers or outcomes beyond the account takeover, but they emphasize that the breach happened rapidly after the initial call.
