Two suspected online scammers in the habit of advertising expensive mobile phones at cheaper prices on jiji.com and luring their buyers to places where they fraudulently dispossess them of their money in exchange for fake mobile phones were arrested on Wednesday by Lagos state command Response Rapid Squad (RRS)
The suspects, Chukwu - Emeka Ogbona (45) and Olabode Kehinde (34), both mobile phone technicians at the Computer Village, Ikeja were arrested at Olowu Street, Ikeja area, in separate incidents.
The duo, who are members of same syndicate advertised Iphone X, a phone valued at N240,000 for N155,000 to lure buyers into their nets.
The suspects, along with other gang members lured the buyers to locations around Olowu Street and Computer Village, Ikeja, where they fraudulently collect money from the buyers after showing them the real phone but within a twinkle of an eye substitute it with fake Iphone X. The suspects thereafter flee the scene leaving their victims stranded.
Both suspects also disclosed that apart from advertising on jiji.com, they also fraudulently sell fake mobile phones on buyers, around Computer Village,also give out paper money to our victims after we have collected the real money from them.
According to one of the suspects, Chukwu Emeka Ogbona, the leader of the gang is “Ibrahim. He advertised on jiji.com and supply us with the real Iphone X and the fake Iphone X. The real Iphone X is N240,000 while the fake is an android phone made to look like an Iphone X which is N30,000.
The Iphone X was advertised for N155,000. When the buyer negotiated for N120,000,seeing how serious he need the phone I encouraged him to meet me at Olowu as a meeting point i change the locations twice to ensure that we were not being baited by the police.
" i showed him the real Iphone X to confirm then the fake one was inside my back pocket. I bought out the real one out again from him so that we can settle on the bargain price. Meanwhile, I had arranged with other member of our gang to come around and distract the attention of the buyer so as to create room for me to swap the real Iphone X with the fake version.
This I did and we shared the victim’s N120,000. Unknown to me the police baited and arrested me the third day of the fraud”.
"The suspect blamed the hardship in the country ,I was into before but i quit recently cost of living is high, I need money to feed my family. That is why I came back into it. We are many doing it. We call it street hustling. I wont go back to it if released”.
Another suspect, Olabode Kehinde was arrested by the Decoy Team of RRS for collecting N100,000 and an Iphone 6S from one Obinna, who he lured to Computer Village after agreeing to swap them for a Iphone X but ended up fraudulently giving him a fake Iphone X.
He also confessed to be a member of the same syndicate. He added that they are many on the streets of Computer Village.
Commenting on the development, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu advised Lagosians to be wary of suspected fraudsters masquerading as phone dealers with view to exploiting them of their hard earned money, adding that they should ensure they obtain receipt with traceable addresses for mobile mobile devices phones they are buying.
He warned Lagosians to stop buying fairly used phones whose sources they did know
