Police in Lilongwe are searching for a man accused of creating a fake Malawi Voice Facebook page and using it to allegedly extort money from a businessperson.
The suspect, identified as Dick Juma a senior member of Malawi Congress Party media team, is alleged to have posed as a Malawi Voice reporter and threatened to publish a damaging story unless he was paid.
Juma, a former Luso Television reporter, allegedly contacted the businessperson through the fake Malawi Voice Facebook page and demanded money in exchange for dropping the story.
Instead of making the payment, the businessperson contacted Malawi Voice to verify whether the communication was genuine and whether the person was affiliated with the publication.
Malawi Voice advised the individual to report the matter to police, prompting an investigation.
The publication says the suspect had been using several phone numbers and the fake Facebook page to target unsuspecting members of the public while falsely claiming to represent the news outlet.
According to complaints received by Malawi Voice, the suspect allegedly used the phone number 0989103847 to scam people while claiming to be a Malawi Voice reporter.
He is also alleged to have used his personal number, 0999600999, in the scheme.
Following the report to police, the suspect has since deleted the fake Malawi Voice Facebook page.
The Malawi Voice editorial team welcomed the development, saying it would help restore the publication’s credibility.
“We have been receiving complaints from people, organisations and government agencies about stories published on this fake page. Many believed they were genuine Malawi Voice stories, yet they had nothing to do with us,” the editorial team said.
The publication said the case should serve as a warning to individuals who impersonate media organisations to mislead and extort members of the public.
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