A Lagos resident recounted how an Instagram vendor with the handle Toosharpdeclutter.ng defrauded her of N174,500 and later blocked her.
The same phone number linked to Toosharpdeclutter.ng was later discovered to be operating under a new Instagram account, COMFORTDECLUTTER.
The victim explained that the incident took place in July. She had been browsing Toosharpdeclutter.ng’s Instagram page for household items and found a Hisense split air conditioning unit she liked. She contacted the vendor via WhatsApp using the number +2348022315092, and the handler quoted a price of N174,500.
On July 2, Mahmoud transferred the money to a United Bank for Africa (UBA) account number 2139093397, registered to Raphael Marvins Ohihan. The vendor assured her that the air conditioning unit would be delivered within 24 hours and even stated that she could reject it upon delivery if unsatisfied.
However, the item never arrived. After several follow-ups, the vendor initially claimed they would check with their logistics team, but later blocked Mahmoud on WhatsApp and Instagram. Shortly afterward, the Toosharpdeclutter.ng Instagram account was deactivated, leaving Mahmoud with no way to recover her money.
Through independent inquiries, it was found that the Instagram page COMFORTDECLUTTER shared numerous similarities with Toosharpdeclutter.ng. It advertised similar home appliances and had over 11,000 followers. Notably, the same WhatsApp number (+2348022315092) was being used to communicate with potential customers.
Attempts to contact the WhatsApp number for clarification on the non-delivery of the air conditioner and Mahmoud’s subsequent blocking were met with silence, as the messages were read but not answered.
Further investigation led to contact with UBA’s customer service, where an official named Pius acknowledged the fraud complaint but advised Mahmoud to contact her own financial institution for assistance. Pius did not respond to specific questions about how the fraudulent UBA account was opened or whether UBA had conducted proper Know Your Customer (KYC) checks.
Scammer Details:
Account Name: Raphael Marvins Ohihan
Account Number: 2139093397
Bank: United Bank for Africa (UBA)
WhatsApp Line: +2348022315092
Source: fij.ng
