Damilola Odunukan, a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) customer based in Lagos, fell victim to a scam after publicly complaining about two failed ₦4,000 PoS transactions on X (formerly Twitter). Her ordeal escalated from a simple refund request to a ₦30,000 loss to a fraudster pretending to be a GTBank agent.
On Saturday, July 5, Odunukan was debited ₦4,000 twice for a failed Point of Sale (PoS) transaction. Despite immediately reporting the dispense error via her mobile banking app, the funds weren’t reversed by Monday. Under pressure to meet a financial deadline, she posted an open complaint on one of GTBank’s verified pages on X.
“That was where everything went wrong,” she told FIJ.
A fraudulent handle, impersonating GTBank’s customer support, responded under the tweet and directed her to a WhatsApp line—07065261627. There, a scammer introduced himself as Oladoyin Akolawole, sharing a fake staff ID card (ID: 2019/8613) to gain her trust.
“He asked me to input a code I received and then requested the last eight digits of my debit card,” Odunukan said. “I hesitated, but after seeing the ID card, I believed he was legitimate.”
Soon after complying, she was logged out of her mobile banking app and began receiving debit alerts—₦30,000 was gone. The scammer even used her account to send airtime to 09139278367.
Panicked, Odunukan posted another alert on X, only to find that her tweets and previous complaints were being deleted or hidden by the bank’s verified account. She told FIJ that even friends trying to retweet her post couldn’t find it anymore.
When she visited the GTBank Ikotun branch, the response from in-house customer service was underwhelming. “They told me I had given my information to scammers and insisted the ID I received was fake,” she said. “But how was I supposed to know? I was following instructions I believed came from the official account.”
GTBank confirmed the failed transactions and promised a refund for the two ₦4,000 charges, but said nothing could be done about the ₦30,000 loss from the compromised app.
“This feels like a lost cause,” Odunukan said. “How can a fraudster gain access under a verified GTBank account and not be stopped? The system failed me.”
Expert Insight:
Odunukan’s experience is far from isolated. Numerous customers have reported similar scams involving fake bank agents operating under verified social media pages. Despite GTBank’s pinned warnings and website notices urging caution against impersonators, many users remain vulnerable.
Key Red Flags in the Scam:
Response from a supposed GTBank handle directing her off-platform
Use of WhatsApp for customer support
Request for card digits and OTP/code
Fake staff ID sent to build trust
Takeaway for Customers:
Always confirm customer service numbers via the official bank website or mobile app. Never share your debit card details, OTPs, or login credentials, even if a bank ID is presented.
Source: fij.ng
