Congo-Brazzaville: hundreds of Congolese victims of the scam of a fake bank

View of Brazzaville, capital of Congo.

(Illustrative image) Wikimedia / Jomako

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

At least 600 Congolese citizens claim to have been scammed by Crédit Mutuel d'Afrique (Cremaf), a microfinance institution that took the same name as the one accredited by the State in 2013. Explanations and testimonies.

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With our correspondent in Brazzaville,

Loïcia Martial

This establishment operated between May and August 2021. It guaranteed a profit of 200% of the savings deposited after 78 days.

The plaintiffs claim more than 200 million CFA francs, or more than 304,000 euros.

But the microcredit establishment is no longer able to repay.

Virginie, 54, married to a retired civil servant, deposited her savings with Crédit Mutuel d'Afrique.

Reassured by the approval of the Central African Banking Commission and by the security agents posted in front of the establishment, she goes there with her eyes closed.

But for over a month, she has noticed that she has been scammed.

“

There is my husband, my son and I: we have more than 2.6 million CFA francs in savings and we had nothing on our return,

protests Virginie

.

We were taken by boat.

There are a lot of stories in it.

Finally, today we mourn our money.

I am a victim.

I'm really angry.

"

"The director of the establishment is in the jails of the DGST"

Destin Ngoma, 26, economist and trainer in business management, did not see the blow coming: “

 I am asking for 1.5 million CFA francs in invested capital.

Today, we are almost a month without payment.

And the director of the establishment is found in the jails of the DGST

[Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance, Intelligence Service, Editor's note].

Today we do not know which way to turn.

 "

Fabrice Itoua, trader, thought he could double his stake: “ 

I claim nearly four million CFA francs as a gross investment, not counting the return or profit.

We are in difficulty with this microfinance.

We don't know what to say.

" 

The scammed savers wait to be able to recover their money, with the support of the authorities.

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  • Congo Brazzaville