An unknown fraudster has defrauded Abigail Chukwu a medical doctor, of approximately N5.8 million in just two weeks.
Chukwu discovered a sponsored ad on Instagram on May 20, calling for online advertisers and marketers. Interested, she contacted the poster.
The advertiser, who introduced herself as Cecilia Laura, moved the conversation to WhatsApp, where she informed Chukwu about an online advertising job on amjumia.shop. Laura convinced her that the job was linked to the e-commerce giant Jumia.
“There was a registration process that required a payment,” Chukwu explained. “She directed me to a task manager on Telegram, who guided me through the tasks. After completing the first two tasks, I had to pay N6,000.”
Chukwu received a N2000 commission upon completing the initial task, making her believe she could earn N8000 from the N6000 investment. As she progressed, each step required additional funds, depleting her capital.
When attempting to withdraw her earnings, Chukwu was directed to a checkout page requiring bank details, but encountered issues. Laura advised her to contact a task manager on Telegram for assistance.
The task manager, Charles, initially claimed he needed to consult with their finance department before asserting that only the general manager could resolve the issue. Chukwu was then instructed to contact the general manager on Telegram.
The general manager, Geoff, claimed a tax fee was required to withdraw such a large amount. Chukwu, already heavily invested, was told to pay 50 percent of her funds upfront. Geoff then convinced her to pay an additional 30 percent, raising her total payment to over N2 million.
Geoff instructed Chukwu to transfer the money to a Moniepoint bank account under the name Deborah Bola Awolu. When Chukwu could not meet the escalating demands, Geoff claimed the bank was holding her funds for money laundering screening.
Realizing the scam, Chukwu stated, “My total money hanging with them is about N7 million. I am in debt and they keep asking for more to release my funds.”
Several red flags indicated that Chukwu fell victim to an elaborate fraud scheme. A Nigerian on X (formerly Twitter) had warned about the same scam eight days before Chukwu saw the Instagram ad.
“There’s this scammer exposed on Twitter last year? The bank account name is Awolu Deborah Bola [on a] Moniepoint account number. WhatsApp name is Edith Orji. They’re on IG, offering virtual task jobs using Jumia Nigeria as their partner and scamming N6000 at least,” @Traymama_ posted on May 12.
Despite the warning, the post received only 76 views and was lost among countless others in May.
Truecaller identifies Cecilia Laura’s phone number as ‘Scammer’. The amjumia.shop website is flagged as unsafe and not associated with Jumia. Two Kenyans also reported falling victim to this international scam recently.
Attempts to contact the task manager and the general manager were unsuccessful. Moniepoint representatives advised reporting the case to law enforcement.
Category: Other Scams
Source: fij.ng
SEO Keywords: Fraud, Scam, Instagram, Online Advertising, Jumia, amjumia.shop, Moniepoint, Telegram, Nigeria, Social Media Scam, Tax Payment Fraud
Title: Via a Website, IG User Steals N5.8m From Doctor in 2 Weeks
Story:
An unknown fraudster has defrauded Abigail Chukwu a medical doctor, of approximately N5.8 million in just two weeks.
Chukwu discovered a sponsored ad on Instagram on May 20, calling for online advertisers and marketers. Interested, she contacted the poster.
The advertiser, who introduced herself as Cecilia Laura, moved the conversation to WhatsApp, where she informed Chukwu about an online advertising job on amjumia.shop. Laura convinced her that the job was linked to the e-commerce giant Jumia.
“There was a registration process that required a payment,” Chukwu explained. “She directed me to a task manager on Telegram, who guided me through the tasks. After completing the first two tasks, I had to pay N6,000.”
Chukwu received a N2000 commission upon completing the initial task, making her believe she could earn N8000 from the N6000 investment. As she progressed, each step required additional funds, depleting her capital.
When attempting to withdraw her earnings, Chukwu was directed to a checkout page requiring bank details, but encountered issues. Laura advised her to contact a task manager on Telegram for assistance.
The task manager, Charles, initially claimed he needed to consult with their finance department before asserting that only the general manager could resolve the issue. Chukwu was then instructed to contact the general manager on Telegram.
The general manager, Geoff, claimed a tax fee was required to withdraw such a large amount. Chukwu, already heavily invested, was told to pay 50 percent of her funds upfront. Geoff then convinced her to pay an additional 30 percent, raising her total payment to over N2 million.
Geoff instructed Chukwu to transfer the money to a Moniepoint bank account under the name Deborah Bola Awolu. When Chukwu could not meet the escalating demands, Geoff claimed the bank was holding her funds for money laundering screening.
Realizing the scam, Chukwu stated, “My total money hanging with them is about N7 million. I am in debt and they keep asking for more to release my funds.”
Several red flags indicated that Chukwu fell victim to an elaborate fraud scheme. A Nigerian on X (formerly Twitter) had warned about the same scam eight days before Chukwu saw the Instagram ad.
“There’s this scammer exposed on Twitter last year? The bank account name is Awolu Deborah Bola [on a] Moniepoint account number. WhatsApp name is Edith Orji. They’re on IG, offering virtual task jobs using Jumia Nigeria as their partner and scamming N6000 at least,” @Traymama_ posted on May 12.
Despite the warning, the post received only 76 views and was lost among countless others in May.
Truecaller identifies Cecilia Laura’s phone number as ‘Scammer’. The amjumia.shop website is flagged as unsafe and not associated with Jumia. Two Kenyans also reported falling victim to this international scam recently.
Attempts to contact the task manager and the general manager were unsuccessful. Moniepoint representatives advised reporting the case to law enforcement.
Source: fij.ng
