A fraudster Wednesday duped a young lady of
N14,000 at the Guaranty Trust Bank, GTB, Allen
Avenue branch, Ikeja, in Lagos.
The young lady, who identified herself with one
name, Ruqayat, was seen crying inside the
banking hall and attracted attention from officials
and customers. According to Rukayat, a man
dressed in a corporate outfit approached her
while on a queue, along other depositors.
He claimed to be an official of the bank and
demanded if I had a bank verification number, to
which I answered no. “He collected the money for
ease of the transaction and gave me a verification
form to fill”, Rukayat explained.
While she moved away to fill the form, Rukayat
said, the man went to the counter and was seen
talking to a teller.
By the time Rukayat was done, the pretended
bank official had gone. Rukayat, who works with
a IPhone 6 retail shop at Balogun street, also in
Ikeja, burst into tears.
“The money belongs to my boss. I have just been
employed two weeks ago and I don’t know where
to get a refund for her,” she said sobbingly. Many
bank customers were in disbelief about Rukayat’s
story, while a bank security guard ordered her out
of the hall. Rukayat said.
Outside the banking hall, few Bureau de Change
operators sympathized with Rukayat. A middle
aged Hausa-speaking man, Ibrahim Hamisu told
Newsmen a similar incident had
happened previously in the bank and the fraudster
arrested. The previous fraudster, Hamisu said,
acted as though he were a bank official and
elected to help two girls who had come to open
accounts with the task.
‘He (fraudster) collected two laptops from the two
girls and gave them forms to fill. They were able
to discover who he was through the CCTV, when
the ladies raised an alarm. The bank was
thoroughly searched, but the fraudster had fled by
then,” Hamisu said.
