Lady mistakenly receives N485k, owner calls her to return it, she becomes afraid
A fashion store owner in Lagos received a credit alert of N485,000 from an unknown sender in 2022
The sender, who identified himself as Ezekiel, tracked down her shop, called her repeatedly, and even got his bank’s branch manager to contact her, But she was suspicious and scared of being involved in a fraudulent scheme until she was sure that it was not from scammers
A Nigerian lady was busy managing her business in Lagos when she saw a credit alert of N485, 000 in 2022.
She was puzzled and alarmed by the unexpected windfall. Before she could decide what to do, her phone rang.
Photo of man and woman. For illustration purposes only. Depicted person has no relationship to events described in this material.
Lady was very afraid after she received the call. Photo credit: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
It was the sender of the money, who claimed he had made a mistake and begged her to return it.
He said he was not a fraudster and that he had proof of the transaction. He also knew her full name and account number, which she had never given out to anyone.
She was suspicious and scared, She wondered how he got her personal details and why he was so desperate to get the money back.
She told him to follow the standard procedure of contacting his bank and requesting a reversal. She also decided to notify the authorities about the incident. But that was not the end of it.
Tracing her shop, The sender, who identified himself as Ezekiel, traced her shop by searching for her business name on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) website.
He showed up at her doorstep, pleading with her to cooperate. He said he was a gadget seller and that he had meant to send the money to a colleague.
A week later, Ezekiel called her again, this time offering her N35,000 as a reward to help her out. He said he did not want to go to court and pay N80,000 for a court order to retrieve his money.
Brenda declined, insisting that she wanted things to be done the right way. She said she did not want to be involved in any illegal activity or risk being arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Contacting supposed owner, When the reporter contacted the supposed owner, Ezekiel, he maintained that it was an erroneous transfer and that he had no ulterior motive.
He also defended his actions of tracking down Brenda’s shop and contacting her repeatedly.
“Her store is registered with CAC. Her business details are online. That’s how I got the number too. I went to her because it is not illegal to call her or go to her shop,” he said.
What eventually happened
When THETALK.NG contacted Brenda after almost a year of the incidents, she confirmed that she had returned the money.
“I have returned the money after all the standard procedures have been followed. I just want to be on a safer side. I have also closed that account and I am no longer using it again.”
Ezekiel also confirmed to THETALK.NG that he has received the exact amount.
POS man mistakenly receives N280 million, spends it.
Meanwhile, THETALK.NG earlier reported that a Nigerian man identified as Alfa Rafiu has been arrested after he was found spending the money erroneously sent to his account.
The total amount mistakenly sent to his account was N280 million and it was alleged to have been sent in batches, Tribune reports.
Source: THETALK.NG