A resident in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital was left with almost a million naira loan after robbers applied for a loan via an app on her phone.
Daily Post reported that the robbery happened in a mini-bus, amid increase in jungle justice as Police Public Relations Officer, SP Odiko Macdon pleads with residents to hand over suspects to the police.
Narrating her ordeal, the victim (name withheld) said she boarded a mini-bus from the Plaza area of the state capital but was shocked when she saw a gun pointed towards her.
She said, “I boarded a bus from Plaza heading to Nwaniba. There were four people on the bus, two at the back, one behind the driver and the other one in the front seat.
“Towards the De Choice Mall, someone else joined and sat beside a lady.
“The bus driver asked if there was anyone that would alight before Utang Street that he wanted to use Barracks Road. Everyone said they would be dropping after. I didn’t have any fear because there was a woman on the bus.
“Just after Oliver Twist Eatery, I felt an object on my neck and when I turned, a guy behind pointed a gun at me asking for my phone.”
She said that they demanded for her password which she obliged.
She continued, “They opened my phone and went straight to Play Store to download the Fairmoney loan App. Unfortunately, I have used the app before and repaid the loan. So they didn’t need to download again.”
She explained that they opened the app and she was eligible to receive a loan of N650,000.
“The criminals applied for the loan and the loan came in less than 5 minutes. The loan got to my account. They opened my app and asked for my password. They transferred the loan and the money I had in my account which was about N120,000 to another account. So they moved a total of N770,000 from my account.”
She added that by the time they got to the Fire Service, at Brooks Street, they pushed her out with her bag and phone.
“I was left to pay a loan of over N950,000. When I got to the bank to see if they could track them, it was then I realised that it was an Opay account opened without BVN and they cannot be tracked. The name on the account is Mallam Sahid,” she lamented, adding that she felt so heartbroken as she was left to pay about N165,000 every month.
