A 26-year-old man, Damilola Arowolo has been apprehended by the police after he was caught swindling shop owners via fake bank alert.
Arowolo, a graduate from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, was alleged to have serially manipulated the POS machines of shop owners in Akure, the Ondo state capital, while posing as a potential buyer.
Owning up to the crime, Arowolo, who graduated in 2013, stated that he was lured him into the illicit business by one of his friends.
“I’ve only been involved in this act for only three weeks.
“What I do was that I normally walk into any store with an ATM [card] which has no fund in it.
“After inserting the card in their POS, I immediately push a bank alert message to their phone.
“It was one of my friends that thought me the trick.”
While urging the public to be conscious of who they transact business with, the Ondo State Police Commissioner, Undie Adie, emphasised that investigation is on towards curbing the new trend.
“It has become necessary at this point to alert members of the public to a new method being adopted by some con men to defraud people.
“These unscrupulous elements go to commercial outlets including shops, hotels etc and purchase goods and services and ask to be allowed to pay through POS .
“They then proceed to manipulate the POS and generate credit alert without the account being credited. A case in point is that of one Arowolo Damilola ‘m’ 26yrs of age, of Ijoka Road Akure, who recently defrauded one Olusola Ayodeji through this method after buying some wares from his shop.
“The suspect has confessed to defrauding many other innocent people.
“Investigation is on and the suspect will be arraigned in court.”
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