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RED ALERT...

I'm re-posting this from Stella Dimokorkus' blog. I stumbled on it and I just couldn't pass without doing something about it.

It particularly bothered me enough to re-post because of discussions I've been having with my siblings abroad lately. You see, they are interested in investing in the country and somebody (an agent) brought a 'ridiculous-too-good-to-be-true' deal. I was just cautioning one of them lately to exercise a bit of restraint particularly regarding land purchase because the rate of evil being perpetrated on a daily basis in this land is better imagined.

Please read, pass on and stay safe. 


May God help us all.
  
SPREAD THE WORD - Their Next Victim Could Be Saved By Your Actions!


Please  let’s all be careful especially those who are always interested in buying parcels of land, following strange agents to unknown places to check out apartments or cars for sale. This is a great eye opener !!! Always ensure you transact business through a known and registered office, it’s safer. God help us all.
 
This is in memory of our friend and colleague.
FACTS.
On the night of Friday, the 7th of March 2014, our friend and colleague disappeared.
He was with a friend in his rented apartment in Port Harcourt on that night when he received a call. After answering the call at about 8pm, he told his guest he had to dash out to meet some colleague and that he would be back shortly. That was the last time anyone saw him alive, he met with the persons but never returned.


He had planned to travel to home to his family in Warri on Saturday but sadly, their expectation to see him alive and well was cut short. He never came home.
By Monday his family was fully panicked.  They checked and confirmed that there were no accidents on the PHC-WAR road and that his name was not on any manifest of the more popular transport companies. 


Further enquiries revealed that there had been several withdrawals from his account via his ATM card along the Eleme/Onne axis of Port Harcourt.
It was then assumed that he had been kidnapped, though there was never any call or demand for ransom.


THIRD PARTY INFORMATION
Fast forward three weeks to Friday 28th of March, when a guy flew in to Port Harcourt from Lagos. Apparently, he came to close a business deal.
On arrival, he checked into a hotel and got in contact with a driver/mechanic whom he was familiar with and arranged for the guy to take him somewhere for a business meeting with some persons. Upon arriving at the location, they were attacked, but luckily the mechanic/driver escaped. He returned to the location a while later with police men and met the corpse of his client (the man from Lagos). Per protocol, the police searched the area and discovered the now de-composing corpse of our colleague.


OUR THOUGHTS
It appears there is a syndicate or gang of criminals who are using a ‘honey trap’ to lure unsuspecting people to an untimely and gruesome death. We believe based on the little facts we have that they are parading an item for sale for an unbelievable bargain price. WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS OR HOW THE INITIAL CONTACT IS MADE (MOST LIKELY ONLINE), it could be anything from a high end vehicle or heavy duty equipment to real estate property, though it’s more likely to be a car/vehicle because it is unlikely our colleague would go out at night to inspect a piece of land and the fact that their last victim contacted a mechanic/driver indicates that he was likely looking for his input/opinion on the state of item he wanted to buy. AGAIN, WE DON’T KNOW THE DETAILS OF THE ‘DEAL’ BECAUSE NONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO STARTED THE DEAL SURVIVED TO TELL THE TALE.


Whatever it is, we believe that they are offering it at a substantial below market price, hence the interest from would be victims.
After price negotiations (presumably on phone), they would arrange to meet up with their customer for inspection only to accost the person, beat and torture him/her until the person divulges the pin code to his/her ATM card(s) which they would have already taken. They proceed to confirm the code they have forced the victim to divulge is correct by using it in any nearby ATM machine (also definitely check the balance), after which they kill the person and set-up another deal for the next weekend while they continue withdrawing from their victims account(s).


It seems logical because in the build up to the deal, it’s logical that the person would have started accumulating money in his/her account towards the purchase.
This scenario fits our colleague’s case.
They called him on Friday night of 7th March, 2014 to meet-up with them, he went, they beat him and tortured him till he gave them his pin, they confirmed it and killed him.
The same scenario played out again three weeks later only this time, one of the two people escaped to raise an alarm.


Please we all need to be careful not to fall for this or any other ‘honey trap’ be it via online or any other media.
SPREAD THE WORD - THEIR NEXT WOULD BE VICTIM COULD BE SAVED BY YOUR ACTIONS!!
 
 
 
The shell staff was a young man under 40 years
 
Stories abound of kidnap cases and ATM theft
 
Some of the learning(s) from this incident.
 
1.       Stop receiving bank alerts on your phone (Kidnappers check phones for account balances and make withdrawals from accounts after obtaining the PIN from the kidnapped individual)


2.       If possible, maintain a separate account for ATM use (separate your salary or main account from the account that has an ATM card. Someone says she has an account she transfers funds too for weekend use. Never a lot of money in that account so the loss of the card / account would not be an issue)


3.       Have only one ATM card on you at any point in time (especially for ladies, do not put all your “cards” in one “bag”

4.       ALWAYS let people know what you are up to (or where you are going to)

5.       Be very wary of “deals” that seem too good to be true

Comments

  1. OH MY GOODNESS!!! Their souls rest in peace and GOD gives the family of the deceased the strength to bear their loss and be comforted in their hour of sorrow.....I 've being in a sad mood since yesterday after reading all what is happening in Nigeria then I read this again!! ...LORD help us ...nobody to trust again!
    They come up with different ways to do evil ... as this is exposed, they would be scheming another way ... my heart is so heavy Abiola ..so heavy ... I just dunno ... GOD help us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's all just so saddening and demoralizing and things keep degenerating everyday. What really can we do than to keep praying for God's protection on us and ours?

      Delete
  2. Just read this on Sisi Yemmie's blog too. Chilled my blood. I just don't understand why we do this to ourselves. All because of money? *shudder*

    ReplyDelete
  3. People should also share some of the details of these type of offers with their loved ones, a spouse or perhaps a sibling! At least someone should have been carried along and maybe given details of these proposed meetings, if you get my drift. Sometimes the person you share with may also detect loop holes in the arrangement and perhaps a life or two may be saved.
    I keep cautioning my husband but he insists that some details cannot be shared with spouses/wives in particular *rolls eyes* God help us all oh!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you fluffycutething. You know what I told my sibling who shared the too-good-to-true deal with me? Told him to get a lawyer involved because something just didnt feel right to me. (I already have an idea what the outcome would be)

      God keep us and ours from every appearance of evil.

      Delete
  4. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.Our problems in life will be half solved if only we can control our greed. It is good to pray but caution should be added to prayers too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very true, elimination of greed and corruption will solve almost all the problems we have as a nation and as individuals.

      Thanks for visiting.

      Delete

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