By Awaal Gata
Activities of ‘419ners’ have taken another dimension in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Their atrocious activities seem to be on the increase as they now dupe unsuspecting residents through various ways.
Their trick was to hoodwink their victims into parting with large sums of money, all in the name of introducing the victims to lucrative businesses. Of course, once the unsuspecting victim makes the usually demanded upfront payment, the fraudsters either invent series of further fees or simply disappear.
Such activities have become rampant in the FCT. Often times, residents of different classes are heard complaining of having been duped. Of course, it baffles one to still hear residents complain of having been duped despite the fact that the antics of the fraudsters have, in the past, been burst and residents have been warned to be vigilant. Perhaps, a worrisome trend is that the men of the underworld do not only make use of charms, but also adopt other dangerous methods to achieve their motives.
In an interview with one of their victims, Rabi Mohammed, she recounted how she boarded a cab that had two other passengers from her place of work to Karimo. As the journey continued, she said, the passengers began to tell her about a business she could invest in and earn a lot of returns. According to her, she had her two ATM cards with her including her husband’s, adding that as they kept talking, something else took over her and she began to do exactly what they suggested her to do.
Rabi, who betrayed emotions while narrating the incident to our correspondent, stated that she ended up withdrawing the monies in her account and that of her husband’s which summed up to N500,000, stressing that her husband did not know what was happening as she had been warned not to inform anyone. Much later, she regained her senses, but the monies were gone and contact with the fraudsters already cut-off as usual.
She said:, “I don’t even know what to say. My house dey hot as I dey here. My husband pursued me commot for house; na my in-laws come beg am.
“The two guys were at the back of the car, me I sit with driver. They now start talking say one business, one thing, one thing. Na wetin I know last be that. Before I know wetin dey happen, I don withdraw all the money for my two accounts the first day. They tell me say make I no tell my husband so when I reach house, I no talk.
“The next morning, they call me again say the money no reach so I carry the money in my husband’s account give them all together N500,000. It is when my husband call me say he get debit alert say why I withdraw all the money na that time my eyes open. I called the number, e no go even now I no fit recognize them if I see them anywhere,” she said.
Musa, another victim also told our correspondent that his bad luck came when his phone started malfunctioning. Recounting his ordeal, he said he was asked to buy a ticket of N2, 000 somewhere around Wuse and that he would stand the chance of winning a Samsung tablet worth N20,000. He said he had always known those things were unreal, but something he described as a charm held him spellbound on that fateful day.
He stated that he had the sum of N12,000 belonging to his boss and so decided to buy the ticket of N2,000.
However, after scratching the card, he said what he won was just N2,500.
For three consecutive times, he said he kept buying and re-buying the same ticket but all he got was repeated sum of N2, 500. After trying tirelessly, he was advised to buy a ticket of N12, 000 which he complied with and eventually won the Samsung tablet.
He further stated that after leaving the spot, it dawned on him that he had gambled with his boss’s money. He noted that although he was charmed, he was not completely duped as he had something to show for his money.
According to him, “My phone had stopped working and I had the mind to buy another small one so last week, I went to that towers (name withheld) to get something when I saw this place where they say they were doing bonanza.
“What they said I should do is that I should buy ticket of N2,000 and that anything I see is what I win and I had one money that my oga said I should keep. So I used part of it to buy the N2,000 ticket and when I scratched the ticket, I won N2,500. As I continued like that, it was one of them that now said maybe it was because I was buying N2,000
that I could not win and suggested that I buy a bigger amount,” he said.
A lawyer, Barrister Mu’azu Kallah, told Blueprint that although the fraudulent activities were a bit difficult to check, passengers and individuals need to be more careful as to the kind of vehicles they board and who they transact business with.
Kallah blamed the victims for their loss. He said, “How can someone come and tell you that he can double N2 and you accept without thinking twice? That means you are also a thief and glutton! I mean, we should be courteous ourselves. If we are, we will not fall victim.”
Residents who expressed their opinions to Blueprint over the issue were unanimous with the view that the security operatives should devise proactive strategies that will combat the menace.
“The issue has been identified. It is popular if a problem is understood it is halfway solved. Our security agents should bring up strategy that will not give the fraudsters any room to carry out their crime,” a resident who gave his name simply as Saidu opined.