Daniel Anokwuru
An alleged fake Customs agent, with the name Ayomide Grace, has defrauded a Facebook user, Promise Eke.
According to the victim, he saw an advert placed by the suspected fraudster, claiming to be an auction agent with the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and decided to engage her to know if she was a real agent. Grace, he said, gave him every assurance that the auction was real. This prompted him to start negotiating with her to buy a Toyota Sienna car, which she had displayed for N 600,000, as the auction price. He said it dawned on him that he was dealing with a fraudster after he had parted with N150,000, as registration fee, settlement and cost of bringing the vehicle to him before making final payment.
He said: “I have been one of her friends on Facebook. I thought she was a real Customs agent because she had been doing this for long, and she wore Customs uniform on her profile picture. She always advertised for both impounded rice, recruitment and vehicles. I was not much afraid because all her contact numbers were displayed publicly.
“So, I believed that if she was a fraudster, she would not have displayed the numbers because they must be registered number. So, we were talking on phone, negotiating for a Sienna car, which she advertised. I told her that I would like to receive the vehicle before making any payment. She said their office is at Agbara area. We were on this for long. She agreed that I would receive the vehicle fist. She later demanded that I should send her my details and registration fee to enable her register me, which I did. After sometimes, she said she had perfected the registration and that the vehicle was about to leave their yard.
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“She demanded that I should send another money for settlement of other senior officers and the driver that would be delivering the vehicle to me, which I did. The entire money was about N150,000. After waiting for two weeks without seeing the car, she said there was a little delay, that they just posted a new boos to their office and we needed to settle him also. She said all the money would be deducted from the price of the car but I refused. I told her that I must see the car first before settling any other person. She became angry thereafter.”
Eke said he was later given an appointment where to meet with the driver and he should bring the balance when coming. According to him, he said that he was grateful to God that he escaped the trap.
He said: “We later agreed to meet up in Badagry area where I would receive the car. She said I must come with the balance and other documents. I did not go with any cash because I had started suspecting her. When I got to the place, a very far village in Badagry, I called her but she said I should wait that they were doing clearance. I waited until evening. I noticed they were up to something.
“That was when I left out of fear. As I was going home, I lost my phone and wallet inside the commercial vehicle I boarded. After four days, I retrieved my line and called her, she was very angry. She said they brought the vehicle but my line was not reachable. I explained to her what happened, but she said they had returned the vehicle to their yard, that I must start the process again. It was at this juncture that I realised that I had been duped and probably they had wanted to kill me at the location, believing that I came with cash”.
Eke maintained that he was aware of the Customs policy on car auction, but he was convinced because almost every establishment is advertising on Facebook. Moreover, the publicly displayed contact numbers gave him confidence.
A check on the Facebook account of the self-acclaimed agent by the reporter showed that she had been into the business for long. She advertises all manner of goods, including different brands of cars, rice, etc. at unbelievably low prices, claiming they were impounded and being auctioned. She also puts her contact phone number, 08067631021, on the adverts.
When the reporter contacted Grace through one of the cell phone numbers displayed on her page and indicated interest in buying one of the cars she displayed for sale, she told him that the vehicles were all available for auction. However, she insisted that the transaction must be done online, as she would be queried if she brings in unregistered agent into the yard for supervision of the vehicles. She added though that she could get clearance for the reporter to visit the Customs garage to ascertain his vehicle of choice if he sends money for registration.
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Disassociating the Nigeria Customs Service from the practice, its spokesperson, Mr. Saidu Nurudeen, told the reporter that they don’t have any Facebook account. He described Grace as a scammer.
“That is not possible. No government agency uses social media to market product. She is a scamner. We don’t have any Facebook account for selling products,” he said.
When the reporter called the agent back and informed her that the Nigerian Custom disassociated self from her practice, she insisted that she works with the Seme border, and all items she displayed were really and from the NCS.
She also claimed she always delivered vehicles to her clients and denied defrauding anyone.
However, the reporter insisted on visiting her office, she reluctantly accepted but added that the reporter must first send N50,000 to her to obtain border permit for him. She promised to send the reporter details she needs to process the permit.
The requirements, which sent later included: Name, state of origin, local government, passport No, occupation, residential address, email and phone number. When the reporter asked for the account to send the money, she promised to send it through email but has since failed to do so.
