A new kind of scam in Nigeria

I was lying gently on my bed when what looked like recharge card numbers came as a text message on my phone. Since I wasn't expecting such gift from anyone, I decided to call the number that sent me the 'credit' to find out whom God laid on his heart to bless me this Holiday season. I then remembered that I had no credit on my phone, and decided to go out to get credit. As I was going downstairs, a call came on my phone. The caller said one Baba in Ife wanted to send credit to his son in school, and mistakenly sent it to my number. I felt relieved that I didn't have to stress myself to get credit again, and I told the guy I was also wondering why someone will send me credit. I told him I was just about to go and get credit to call the number, and that they should not worry, that I did not load it. They should use the credit.

The guy said he wanted me to text the credit back because the Baba threw the voucher away before he realised his mistake. I told him the message should be in the sent items. The guy said the Baba doesn't really know much about phones, that I should please send it back. Disappointed that I still had to get the credit after all, I proceeded to go and buy it.

About two minutes after I sent the credit, the guy called me back and said the Baba is really grateful, and wants to personally thank me. Then he passed the phone, and I heard one shrill voice that sounded forced.

Source

The guy started thanking me profusely and praying for me, my finances, future, family, husband, and everything you can imagine. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you would know by now that when strange or shocking things happen to me, my immediate reaction is to start smiling, with a sarcastic grin on my face. In the face of grave danger, I have been known to have this look. This was the same look on my face when the Baba was praying. He asked for my name, I told him. He said shebi I live in Lagos, I said yes. He asked where I work, I said I don't work. He kept on praying. It was all those very intense Yoruba prayers. After a while, the prayer was getting too long, and I was becoming tired and suspicious. He now said the reason why he's asking for where I work is so that he can pray for me to excel at work. I said I don't work. I expected him to end the call. He still kept on praying. So I just cut the call on him.

Two weeks later, I was chatting on my BB, which is not my primary phone. Emails and messages came in, but I couldn’t read them because I was still chatting with someone. Next thing, a call comes in and I pick. The guy goes, one Baba in Ife wanted to send credit to his son, but mistakenly… Immediately I heard Baba, Ife, and Credit, I just cut the line. I checked my text message, and behold it was a string of recharge card numbers that I am sure were fake. The guy called again, I cut it again.

About 5 minutes later, the guy called once more. I picked it and said "Look here, look here. Don’t come and be yarning dust for me. You called me two weeks ago, saying this same rubbish, and one Baba was saying fake prayers…”

This time, it was the guy that cut the line.

I just want to warn people out there. This is the new kind of scam going on. If they can call two different lines of mine in a space of two weeks, I wonder how many people they would have reached.

These people are most likely identity thieves, and they use a technique call Social Engineering. All they need is very few basic details about you, and they will get all other information enough to clear you out. It is easy for them to get the vulnerable ones. Unfortunately for them, they met a like mind in me. I have been scheming from my mother’s womb, and I know that if not that God saved me a long time ago, I would most likely be a female fraudster. Where their own ends, that’s where my own starts. Rubbish people.