Taiwo, a researcher working in Kogi State, recently fell victim to a scam where he was defrauded of $1,500 individuals pretending to be United Bank for Africa (UBA) staff. Taiwo, who usually contacted the bank’s social media handles for information, attempted to inquire about the arrival process of a grant he had been announced as the recipient of. In doing so, he unknowingly engaged with impostors posing as UBA staff members.
During the conversation, the scammers sent him a link and requested that he click on it, redirecting him to WhatsApp. Believing he was communicating with UBA, Taiwo willingly provided his phone number and a verification code sent the scammers. Soon after, he received a message informing him that there was no money deposited in his account.
Later on, UBA headquarters contacted Taiwo to confirm that the promised $1,500 had been transferred into his account Magdalene College. However, on the same day, Taiwo started receiving debit alerts, with N200,000 being deducted each time. He reported the incident to the local police station and reached out to UBA’s customer care, who classified his case as “compromised” due to his unintentional sharing of the verification code.
UBA advised Taiwo to involve an investigative agency and obtain a court order to recover his funds. Despite submitting the court order, Taiwo is still awaiting a resolution, with UBA promising an update September 8.
When contacted FIJ for comments, UBA requested that further inquiries be postponed until September 21 for a more comprehensive response.
This unfortunate incident serves as a reminder of the prevalence of scams and the importance of being cautious when sharing personal information online. It also highlights the need for individuals and financial institutions to remain vigilant and take appropriate measures to protect against fraud.
Sources:
– FIJ (Name of the source article without URL)
– United Bank for Africa (UBA)
