Treasury Warns Kenyans Against Scam Targeting Govt Bonds and Bills

The National Treasury has issued a warning to the public regarding an alleged investment scheme being circulated online using the docket’s name.
In the fraudulent notice, Kenyans are promised quick and guaranteed returns through Treasury-backed instruments and crypto-related products.
The notice, which has since been widely circulated on Monday, September 1, also falsely claimed to launch “Online Investment Sessions” under the guidance of the National Treasury.
To sound more enticing, the offer claimed that participants could invest between Ksh10,000 and Ksh50,000 and receive returns within less than three hours.
According to the notice, the purported initiative involves investments in Treasury Bills, Treasury Bonds, Infrastructure Bonds, and regulated Crypto ETFs, supposedly blending traditional government securities with “supervised exposure to digital assets”.
Treasury strongly denied any involvement in such a scheme, clarifying that no such investment product exists or has been sanctioned by the Ministry.
”The poster below is circulating online, claiming to be from the National Treasury. It is FAKE. Kindly ignore it and do not share further,” a statement from the Treasury said.
One of the biggest red flags about the notice was the fact that there was a personal WhatsApp number included, as interested parties were urged to enrol and start investing almost immediately.
There was also the presence of a suspicious investment charge which promised fixed profits, raising more red flags.
Notably, legitimate government securities are managed under strict procedures by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and typically have several key details, including clear timelines. Further, government opportunities never require third-party registrations.
Investment opportunities from the government, particularly the Treasury, are also shared through official gazette notices and the government newspaperMy Gov.
Interestingly, the flagging of the fake notice came barely a week after the National Treasury had announced the termination of 20 open framework tendersthat were advertised in December last year and in March this yearfor the delivery of various goods and services.
The tenders, which included the supply and delivery of newspapers, agricultural equipment and accessories, timber and timber products, insecticides, chemicals and spraying equipment, were cancelled in line with section 63 of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act of 2015.
The public is encouraged to report suspicious schemes to the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) or relevant authorities to help curb the growing trend of online financial fraud.