A fraudster
on Wednesday reportedly duped a young lady of N14,000 at the Guaranty Trust
Bank, GTB, Allen Avenue branch, Ikeja, in Lagos.
The young
lady, who identified herself with one name, Ruqayat, was seen crying inside the
banking hall and attracted attention from officials and customers. According to
Rukayat, a man dressed in a corporate outfit approached her while on a queue,
along other depositors.
He claimed
to be an official of the bank and demanded if she had a bank verification number,
to which she answered no. He collected the money for ease of the transaction and
gave her a verification form to fill.
While she
moved away to fill the form, Rukayat said, the man went to the counter and was
seen talking to a teller. By the time
Rukayat was done, the pretending bank official had gone. Rukayat, who works
with a IPhone 6 retail shop at Balogun street, also in Ikeja, burst into
tears.
“The money
belongs to my boss. I have just been employed two weeks ago and I don’t know
where to get a refund for her,” she said sobbingly.
Many bank
customers were in disbelief about Rukayat’s story, while a bank security guard
reportedly ordered her out of the hall. Rukayat said.
Outside the
banking hall, few Bureau de Change operators sympathized with Rukayat. A middle
aged Hausa-speaking man, Ibrahim Hamisu told Nigeria Newsbreak a similar
incident had happened previously in the bank and the fraudster arrested. The
previous fraudster, Hamisu said, acted as though he were a bank official and
elected to help two girls who had come to open accounts with the task.
‘He
(fraudster) collected two laptops from the two girls and gave them forms to
fill. They were able to discover who he was through the CCTV, when the ladies
raised an alarm.
The bank was
thoroughly searched, but the fraudster had fled by then,” Hamisu said.
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