PLEASE BE WARNED.. 127 scammers use my name fraudulently —Okonjo-Iweala Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has raised the alarm over the activities of cyber fraudsters laying claim to her identity on Facebook. The minister said no fewer than 127 cyber fraudsters had taken over her identity on Facebook, with a view to duping unsuspecting members of the public. Describing the fake Facebook accounts and pages as “numerous,” Okonjo-Iweala urged people to be vigilant so as not to fall victim to the antics of the con men. In a message posted on her official Facebook page, Okonjo-Iweala said she had since reported the activities of the “unscrupulous persons” to the management of the social networking site. “Dear Facebook friends, Our attention has been drawn to the existence of numerous fake Facebook accounts and pages created in the name of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and honourable Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. “These accounts were created by unscrupulous persons with the intention of misleading and/or defrauding innocent people. They have been reported to Facebook for appropriate action,” the statement on Okonjo-Iweala’s Facebook page stated, while listing links to the 127 fake accounts. Like the finance minister, the Force Police Public Relations Officer, Ag. Commissioner of Police Emmanuel Ojukwu, has also cried foul over the activities of impostors on social media. Ojukwu, who assumed office in August, said it was worrisome that scammers have now cultivated the habit of using his identity to defraud fellow policemen. He noted that one of the notorious fraudsters had been defrauding his men by dangling the bait of securing policemen juicy postings, especially in foreign peace- keeping missions. In a disclaimer posted on the police official Facebook page, Ojukwu was quoted as expressing “dismay” that the impostors had also been defrauding members of the public who wish to get enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force. The police spokesman warned that he only operates one Facebook page, adding that his profile picture on the account “is not in uniform.” “The Force Police PRO, Ag. CP Emmanuel Ojukwu, has observed with dismay the activities of some unscrupulous elements masquerading as the Force Police Public Relations Officer in police uniform on Facebook. “It would be recalled that the FPPRO had earlier dissociated himself from the Facebook page wherein he is impersonated by an unknown fraudster using his photograph, fully dressed in Police uniform. “This fraudster and impostor has devised means of extorting money from unsuspecting members of the public under the false pretence of offering them jobs in the Nigeria Police Force. The impostor goes by the name CSP Victor Ochu, his phone number is 080978027**. “He is currently asking serving police personnel to pay certain amount of money into a bank account number 30874210** in order to assist them secure a peace-keeping slot. “The public and Police personnel are, by this message, advised to disregard any offer by this person and also to carefully verify any online police advert. “For the avoidance of doubt, the Force Public Relations Officer has a single Facebook page, and his profile picture is not in uniform. The general public is by this message advised to avoid dealing with this fraudster/impostor.” Meanwhile, the Police High Command has asked avid users of the micro-blogging site, Twitter, to refrain from using it to report crime or emergencies whenever they are in distress. Deputy Force Police Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Shogunle, wrote on Twitter that Nigerians must cultivate the habit of alerting police spokespersons in the various state commands where they reside directly on designated emergency numbers. Shogunle argued that contact numbers of all the police public relations officers of the various 36 state commands as well as that of the Federal Capital Territory Command were available on the police website, npf.gov.ng Checks on the website by iPUNCH on Monday showed that the mobile phone numbers of the police management team, including those of all the Deputy Inspectors-General, Assistant Inspectors-General, and Commissioners of Police in charge of various formations, state and zonal commands, alongside police departments were made available by the authorities. “Please, don’t use Twitter to report ongoing crime. When in distress, call emergency phone numbers available on npf.gov.ng to alert the NPF,” a message on Shogunle’s official Twitter page stated.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 10:37:35 +0000