2 Ebonyi Varsity Students Arrested Over Alleged POS Fraud

Two male students of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, have been arrested for allegedly using point-of-sale (PoS) machines to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

The suspects, Amadi Chibuike, 20, and Onuha Emeka, 20, both first year students of the university, were alleged to have defrauded two of their victims the sum of N4.4m.

Mrs Loveth Odah, the Ebonyi State police public relations officer, told newsmen, Friday, that the suspects were using a POS machine of Access Bank Plc to defraud their victims.

According to her, one of the victims, Mrs Lillian Anigbogwu, was swindled the sum of N3m, and the second casualty, Mr Alimogwo Chinedu Franklin, lost N1.4m to them. She added that they were arrested following investigations by the police at Ishieke market.
In her words, “The Ebonyi State Police Command has uncovered a new system used by fraudsters to dispossess innocent citizens of their hard earned money through dubious means. The syndicates migrate from one state to the other with the same method to defraud the unsuspecting victims after getting personal information, such as account numbers through stolen phones or sim cards.

“This method works only with Access Bank POS machines after the syndicate has succeeded in getting the victim’s account number. The POS-operator will generate a code through the process for easy withdrawal of the victim’s funds. The suspects confessed to the crime.”
Odah further said the suspects claimed they were agents of one Victor Adogu, 22 years old, who is allegedly a POS operator at the Institute for Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu.

She said, “The suspects further added that they joined the syndicate in December, 2020 with a share of 10% of every amount defrauded from victims. The suspects have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Enugu zonal office, for further investigations and prosecution.”

She advised the general public to avoid disclosing their biometric identification number (BVN), national identification numbers (NIN), or account numbers to anyone. She also advised people not to store such information on their phones as they had become a source where fraudsters obtain such information to perpetrate their nefarious acts.