LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- In recent months, numerous individuals have fallen victim to online shopping scams, resulting in significant financial losses.
One such victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, has come forward to share their story and seek assistance in recovering their funds.
The victim, a beauty salon owner in FCT, reported being defrauded by a fake hair products vendor named Amy_luxury_hair on Facebook. The vendor advertised a promo that appeared attractive, but turned out to be fraudulent. The victim initially insisted on payment after delivery but was convinced by the vendor to make payment beforehand.
“I thought I was dealing with a real seller on Facebook,” the victim explained. “She told me their location was 29/30 Haruna Street, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos. The person who chatted with me was very polite and sent assuring voice notes and videos. I’m a struggling mother trying to make a living with my beauty salon. I thought I was getting a good deal, but it turned out to be a scam.”
The victim paid a total of N89,000 for hair products that were never delivered. They have since tried to contact the vendor, but the phone number is no longer reachable.
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“This is not my first time purchasing goods online,” the victim said. “Some vendors collect money upfront and deliver as promised, while others collect money after delivery. But this vendor convinced me to make payment before delivery, and after a long conversation, I agreed. Now, I realize I was scammed.”
The victim has provided evidence of the transaction, including a bank account number with Firstbank (Usman Nefisetu, FirstBank, 3214115038), and is willing to cooperate with security agencies to recover their funds.
Link to the fraudulent video on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/61551095337956/videos/981539820181745/
Check the link to read chats between the victim and the face vendor: https://www.africanexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/charts.pdf.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Several other victims have come forward with similar stories of being defrauded by online scammers. In one case, a victim was scammed out of N200,000 by a fake vendor claiming to sell electronics.
In another case, a victim lost N50,000 to a scammer posing as a real estate agent.
“These scammers are getting more sophisticated, and it’s getting harder to spot them.”
“People need to be cautious when shopping online and verify the authenticity of vendors before making payments,” said a cybersecurity expert.
In the meantime, victims of online shopping scams are left to pick up the pieces and try to recover their losses.
“I just want my money back. “I’m struggling to make ends meet, and this scam has set me back significantly. I hope that by sharing my story, I can help others avoid falling victim to these scammers,” the victim said.
