All the scams committed in Mozambique
By Estacio Valoi
The effects of the race for Oil & Gas and other mineral concessions that grew like mushrooms involved billions of dollars in the Province of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique, announced and published at the speed of light, were attracting multinationals thirsty for minerals and labour. Giants like TotalEnergies, American ExxonMobil and others arrived from all continents. Lobbyists, consultants, ministers, presidents, but also scammers arrived, and they all wanted a piece of the large pie and whilst some worked others were surreptitiously scamming people.
William Kerr known as Billy ‘the Scammer’, an expatriate from Aberdeen, an Oil & Gas Sector focal point also arrived in Pemba – Cabo Delgado in one of those treasure hunt trips in 2021 and stayed until the middle of 2023.
He was hired by a company in Mozambique due to his highly sought-after specialization, a very specific job of tank-cleaning an area in which Billy received significant training, and certificates for such, a job much needed in the Oil & Gas sector. He was employed in Pemba during two years at Moz Environmental a company that provides its services to the Oil & Gas Sector in waste tanks cleaning management etc. as their Depot Manager.
45 years of age, with his head always bold, 75 kilos, strong from so much ‘weightlifting’
a real bodybuilder his body almost transformed in a work of art from so many tattoos that stretched from his legs to his arms, always with a big smile, always very nice and that’s how he approached people. But Billy, was not only good at cleaning tanks, for he had another profession, as a light-fingered scammer.
With his serene, conversational air, spreading joviality, Billy was discretely winning over friends in Pemba and gaining their trust including various colleagues at the company where he worked. His meeting places were at restaurants, pubs, leisure areas but also sneakily and logistically inside of his company.
William Kerr Sim or simply Billy as reported by all his victims managed to scam them all out of many thousands of US Dollars in total.
As stated by one of his victims, Billy through his smoothly talking and sharp tongue convinced his victims to provide him with loans with his promise to reimburse them sometimes up to as much as double the amount he borrowed.
“He is a charming person who, when it’s time to take the stage, manages to win over the crowd. Both locals and foreigners find him very likable, just as I did. He starts to chat to you, after he becomes your friend, and has observed and studied you, had a few drinks with you here and there; then he approaches you very seriously and supposedly with integrity and says, ‘can we do a contract whereby you lend me 2500 USD and I return you 4000 USD….?”
His victims convinced of a safe return which happens with the first and second loan, but after the third, fourth and fifth time, Billy fled the City of Pemba once and for all abandoning his expatriate job at the company where he was earning a net monthly salary of 407,640.74 Meticais which is today equivalent to 6,325.00 USD.
He gets on a plane that takes him back to Scotland where he is able to ‘hide’ and await his next flight on yet another of his excursions – a fixed term contract in the Oil & Gas Sector washing tanks and scamming residents of that new community.
“This man from one day to the other left my house, he left his work colleagues as he already had their money in his pocket and goes back to his country which is Scotland in Great Britian and stays there knowing that there will be absolutely no Mozambican or foreigner that will be able to go after him”, emphasizes one of his victims named Ana.
He had a sophisticated but simple technique. He would sign loan contracts with his victim which even came with the Notary’s seal; he did it all with great skill. “a loan contract that was recognized at the Notary and everything became 100%. You give him monies or transfer your funds to his British bank account”. He even gives you his British Passport as guarantee that he is not going to run away, because no-one knew he had at least two British Passports (a fact that he was very proud of in his CV). In the first few times to keep his ruse and trust going the Scottish Scammer William Kerr Sim (better known as Billy) returned double the amount borrowed but then at the fourth time the stories started “I will pay you back in instalments’, which never happened.
From Ana Cruz, one of his victims, Billy rented a house after he showed her his work contract that showed that his company Moz Environmental had renewed his Expatriate Employment Contract for another two years until 2025.
As guarantee for his loan Billy also handed to his Landlady his British Passport.
“He did that to me and many other people of this remote community of Pemba”.
Those shockingly scammed in thousands of US Dollars went looking throughout the city for Billy but unfortunately they were unable to travel to Billy’s refuge of Scotland as it entailed huge financial costs and logistics on top of what they had already lost to Billy in his scam, and Billy knew this very well.
What Billy did not know was that amongst the victims of his scamming incursions existed someone who had both Mozambican and British nationality and was ready to action other mechanisms to stop him.
Court Case in the Scottish Court

Ana, Mozambican but also British who knew somethings about the British legal system, like the others she was frustrated and desperate having continued to see their thousands of US Dollars of their live savings which had been promised to be returned with an increase in the amount of their capital, she opened a case in the Scottish court (Aberdeen Sheriffs Court) where she would come to win her case on the 10th September 2024.
After trying to trick the court, which then gave him an ultimatum to “use imperis” the Scammer had to finally turn up to court and accept his guilt. “He did not fight the case because I had all the proof that I have lent him these funds and that he had never returned them”. It was not only about returning my money but also paying for other losses in fees, interest and exchange rates incurred by his victims.”
His other victims shared the same sentiments and wanted to seek justice too but without the finances and logistics they were unable to do the same in Scotland.
“So, this man, is without any doubt, doing this during all his work contracts, when he gets employed to go and work in remote locations. For example, if he goes to work for TotalEnergies, Sasol, Halliburton or ExxonMobil he reckons he will be able to conceal himself there and do this again because no-one will know who he is. To again borrow monies, scam, to then run away to Scotland, sign a new work contract, scam again in another place, like a vicious circle”.
Billy dedicates himself to his two professions that of tank cleaning and the other one of scamming, and he will not cease his incursions. He knows he cannot set foot in Pemba because there are two Mozambicans who have already opened up court cases against him. And now it seems he is trying to get an expatriate contract in the Gulf”.
More Victims
Moz24h spoke with more than 10 victims scammed by Billy using this same modus operandi.
I lent him 500,000.00 meticais (7,000 British Pounds). This caused me incalculable problems….it was the money from my mother’s estate that Billy borrowed from me’.
Billy would write stories to his victims
Moz24h contacted the victims, and all of them sent our Newspaper, evidence of his scams, through emails, msgs, etc.
“First of all, I am sorry. I am not able to send emails to anyone that I owe money to until there is a full investigation undertaken, as the UK thinks I am money laundering from Africa, so I had my bank accounts blocked” Hello all, I am flying to Maputo on Friday. All good, getting my police clearance, but I can give you my Moz. bank details. I am in London now trying to get my visa”.
Billy continued on and on with his stories “my banks were all blocked again, all of the UK and Africa ones, and I cannot unblock them until I get back to Africa on the 16th November as ABSA blocked them, so I’m returning with letters from the United Kingdom to prove I have my savings accounts, but I was fined because I needed a new police clearance, as I am working for a new company in Mozambique. I am so sorry; I cannot do anything about this until then”. Billy would say.
Another Victim “Billy said that “his credit card was not working, he showed me photos of is daughter in hospital and that she needed surgery, and he had to pay, and now it’s been 6 months, and he has not paid me back my 450,000 mts”.
Billy does require professional references to obtain his next employment. However, one of his victims contacted his last employer Moz Environmental via Email and presented them with all the evidence of the Scottish Court proving that Billy is a scammer, scams undertaken during his 2 years working for this said Company in Pemba.
Moz Environmental acknowledged Billy as a scammer as per the email shared with the Newspaper Moz24h. Also, in the same email referenced this company confirmed having received a number of complaints regarding Billy misconduct and promised not to provide any more letters of professional reference to Billy, because Billy also scammed his colleagues who worked at Moz Environmental.
Another victim that agreed to be named was Alfocine Isac da Costa “Billy was my work colleague at Moz Environmental. He asked me to lend him money. Whenever he had any worries he would approach me and ask to borrow. The first few times he returned what he borrowed. The last time he left Mozambique , it was in 2023 when he left the company, I had lent him 150,000 Meticais and he never returned it”.
From Moz Environmental’s email in our possession, the company reaffirms Billy’s actions as well what measures were taken “We did receive other complaints against Billy after he left, and people started to look for him”….We informed Human Resources although this was outside of his job and workplace, I can guarantee that positive references cannot be issued”.
It is unknown if Billy has also used social media to scam people, reported the victims of his scam. “The fact is that Billy is freely going around probably making new victims or waiting to catch his next flight’.
Right to Reply
Moz24h has in the meantime tried to contact Billy via email and WhatsApp, calling for the right to reply to understand the reasons that motivated him to scam all these people resident in Pemba. Billy responded:
“I won’t pay a cent unless she removes all the that online and then I will pay monthly. I also went to the police to accuse her of threatening my family. The police
If she wants 500 per month to be sent to her, then I will only agree if all the material online is removed, otherwise, I will go to court which will take years.
As soon as I give a date, I will stick to it, but if she goes after my family again, then the police of the UK will like to visit her, so it is defined now that the maximum agreed will be 400 or 500 per month if she removes everything.
In regard to the other more than 10 victims Billy replied: They can claim all they like I didn’t. I will not comment no more going forward will let UK police and lawyers deal with that. (Moz24h)