Alleged fraud in UBA
OpenLife Nigeria reports that of recent, there appears to be increasing occurrences in the banking sector consistent with irregularities in customers’ deposits.
Largely promoted by technological wizardry, the Central Bank of Nigeria, has, at various times, deployed innovative and strategic modes in fraud management in Nigeria’s developing financial environment.
Specifically, the recent lamentation by Mrs Abisola Balogun, an account holder in the U Turn Branch of the United Bank for Africa, UBA, raises more concerns about the safety of customers’ deposits in the Nigerian banking systems. Mrs Balogun alleges “compromised ATM.”
In her narrative, Mrs Abisola Balogun said:
“Believe me fellow Nigerians, Banks are no longer safe for us to keep our money as there is too many unscrupulous persons within the banking sector. I am a victim of the fraudulent act of UBA, U- turn branch, Abule Egba.
That day I started receiving debit alerts on my phone, it was like a dream all because I went to upgrade my account.
I have been receiving messages from UBA requesting me to come for account upgrade. On the 19th of January 2022, I went to the banking hall for the upgrade, I was given a form to fill, I filled the form and also requested for an ATM card ,which was issued to me. A lady told me to go to the machine outside that she would send the PIN to activate the card to my phone number attached to the account.
I went to the machine and waited, there I received the activation PIN and within seconds to this time , I started receiving different “one time password” (OTP) notifications.
They almost came at the same time. It was obvious somebody somewhere has been waiting for this account upgrade. I went back inside the banking hall and complained but I was told to ignore the messages.
To my greatest surprise within 20mins after the OTP messages came in, my #204000 was cleared from my account and up till now UBA is still quiet after series of calls and mails sent to them.
The excuse was that they are investigating. For how long would you investigate something that happened within minutes with your system? How porous could the security network on this bank be? Or there was a deliberate issuance of a compromised ATM card to me with my banking details already compromised from source. It’s over six weeks now, still UBA could not fix the wrong done to me.
How can my money be stolen under UBA watch? What a funny and porous banking system? May be I should have saved my money in a pot and buried it in my backyard instead of entrusting it to a porous UBA banking security system. I need my money back. It’s high time fraudulent acts and sharp practices within the banking system cease.
All evidence are still on my phone
Pls I need help to recover my money back.”
Speaking further with OpenLife, Mrs Balogun who said she is a business woman stated that “She has lost about N240,000 in the process,” adding that “Till now, the bank has not done anything about it despite the mail I sent to them since January 19th, 2022 when it happened.
However, OpenLife reached out to the corporate communication department of the bank through an email to ascertain the level of efforts being deployed by the bank to address the issue raised by Mrs. Abisola Balogun.
OpenLife did not get any response from the bank as of the time of filing this report.
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