An M-Pesa agent suffered financial losses after a man posing as a customer stole his business phone in broad daylight before draining the account’s float and maxing out its loan facilities.

CCTV footage captured from inside the shop around 1pm shows the suspect initiating a routine transaction, inquiring about prices, and buying exercise books and pens.

However, the moment the shopkeeper briefly stepped away from the counter, the thief acted swiftly.

He bypassed two other devices resting on the surface, including one actively playing a video, and purposefully targeted the specific handset containing the M-Pesa agent account.

The selective theft indicates the suspect likely scouted the shop beforehand and obtained access to the agent’s PIN and credentials.

Before the victim even noticed the device was missing, the suspect had already withdrawn all the available float and taken out overdraft loans tied to the account, stealing nearly Sh40,000 in total.

The agent has since shared the security footage publicly in an effort to identify the suspect and alert fellow business owners to the scheme.