Gold scammers haven: How underground syndicate lures foreigners with forged licences and fake vaults

The deal proposed was the purchase of 150 kilogrammes of gold, with an initial transaction of 50 kilogrammes. [Courtesy]

When US commodities trader Dave White landed in Nairobi in early December 2025, he believed he was stepping into a legitimate gold deal that would open doors to mineral trade in the country.

Instead, within weeks, he would find himself entangled in what detectives now describe as a carefully choreographed fraud that cost him Sh37 million and exposed an underground network of alleged repeat gold scammers operating from a high-end apartment in Kilimani.