Fred Ezeh
The 21st century technology, undoubtedly, comes with different benefits and challenges, one of which is cybercrime. It has, though, improved significantly life and living, it has replaced inefficiency and erratic services with precision, accuracy, speed and quick service delivery to people.
Different computer programmes and solutions have been developed and used to transform businesses and corporate service delivery. The effect of such sophisticated computer software could be seen and felt in aviation, maritime, education, healthcare system, banking services and other financial transactions.
Computerisation has drastically reduced human-to-human interface and eliminated several barriers in business and other corporate engagements. However, it has expectedly come with huge job losses in some cases and created new window of opportunities for another category of people.
Sadly, some “smart people”’ have latched on it to deliberately take advantage of some identified or yet to be identified lapses and shortcomings in technology usage to unleash terror and misery on people. Cybercrime, cyber bully and other criminal activities on or offline different online and social media platforms are obviously on the rise.
In Abuja, the negative effects of increased access to internet and computer programmes have redefined socio-economic affairs of the people. Digital armed robbers have recently invaded Abuja, terrorising unlucky residents and dispossessing them of their valuables.
Hitherto, armed robbers were known for blocking highways, invading peoples’ homes with sophisticated weapons to forcefully dispossess them of cash or other valuable items. But contrary is the case with 21st century technology driven world. Armed robbery has gone digital, particularly in a cosmopolitan city like Abuja.
The presence of these fraudsters is strongly being felt on daily basis in Abuja. This time, the targets of these “digital armed robbers” are bank customers and other people that make transactions online.
Investigations into their modus operandi revealed that they have either signed pact with some unscrupulous taxi operators or choose to use their private cars to ply their evil trade. Horrible experiences from victims suggest that the “digital armed robbers” know one another, and as part of their operations, had assigned different responsibilities to each person.
Operational time and period has also been assigned to each member of the team for easy accomplishment of their task. While some hunt during the day, others unleash their skills under the cover of the night. Some other ones choose to operate at weekends for strategic reasons.
As digital armed robbers, they have taken mastery of all online banking platforms. They have also acquainted themselves with the use of Point of Sale (POS) machines, Automated Teller Machines (ATM), all bank mobile applications, Cash Transfer Codes and several other online banking platforms.
They seem to have also studied the characters of Abuja residents, particularly female commuters and have taken advantage of that, to unleash terror on the unlucky ones. Unfortunately, many bank customers pay less attention to security of their unique banking details neither do they know how to reach their banks for urgent complaints even after close of work or weekends.
Point of Sale (POS) operations
Investigations revealed that these digital robbers disguise as taxi drivers or some good Samaritan that have the intention of assisting their suspected targets, especially females; and in the middle of the “assistance’ execute their nefarious intentions.
“It was gathered that these ‘one chance’ taxi drivers go about with POS device for easy operation,” a victim at Lugbe, Abuja, Grace (surname withheld), told our correspondent that she fell into the evil hands of the digital robbers few weeks ago on her way to visit a friend at Lokogoma part of Abuja:
“My friend and I were around Area 1 Roundabout on that cloudy fateful evening, trying to get a cab to Lokogoma. People were rushing home to escape the rainfall. Suddenly, a sky-blue Toyota Camry pulled off the road and offered to assist us to our destination. We gladly jumped in with the hope that we have found a help. But otherwise was the case.
“It was only the driver and two other guys that were inside the car. They were friendly and nice initially, but became hostile shortly before Galadimawa roundabout. Suddenly, their countenance changed totally. At gunpoint, they emptied our hand bags. They couldn’t find much cash on us. But our ATM cards were boldly displayed in our purse. They giggled and quickly brought out POS machine and quietly demanded for our ATM PIN. It was like Nollywood movie to me.
“I was so lucky that day, but my friend was not that lucky. The ATM card with me had only N87, 000 in it. But my friend said she had over N500,000 in her own. They gladly transfer all our money and took two of our phones. They deleted all the alert messages from the bank and tightly block all holes through which they could be traced. It was a horrible experience that could better be imagined.”
She also disclosed that her friend had similar experience at Garki end of Ahmadu Bello way, Abuja, one fateful day, on her way to work. Hers was worst because they tortured her seriously and left her with bruises after they had emptied her bag.
Weekend robbers
Digital armed robbers have also taken advantage of the weekends to rob bank customers at ATM points in some isolated areas in Abuja. Aside online banking platforms and ATM, it is known to customers that banks don’t operate at weekends. The digital armed robbers are very much aware of that. They had recently taken advantage of that to rip bank customers of their hard earned treasures.
Their operational methods suggest that they disguised as customers and move round isolated ATM points in different parts of Abuja at weekend unleashing terror and pain on people.
A victim, Bulus Ishaya, narrated how they met him at a lonely ATM point at Garki 2, Abuja, at night and successfully emptied his account:
“I was, innocently, using the ATM that fateful Friday at around 9:30 pm, when some guys walked up to me at the machine with cheerful faces. One of them quietly raised his shirt exposing a pistol gun to me. He asked me to cooperate with him so that the experience could be peaceful. I complied with him because that was the only option I had.
“He immediately terminated my transaction and requested for my PIN. Not only that, he confirmed it in the machine and zoomed off. All I was receiving thereafter was debit alerts. The alert came in torrents as they made the withdrawals. I was helpless and could not reach my bank to block the account because it was weekend. That was how I lost my hard earned money. Before I could go to bank on Monday when the bank had opened for business, the robbers had emptied my account.”
Mobile application robbers
Our correspondent, in the course of investigation, also discovered that the digital armed robbers also rob bank customers through the use of bank mobile applications. The mobile application has received huge acceptability from bank customers due to the ease it brought into the banking system. The mobile application is also compatible with any kinds of android phones and other electronic devices.
A victim, Kingsley (surname withheld), said he and his girlfriend were robbed at gunpoint by some digital armed robbers at Utako, Abuja, few months ago:
“It was after a weekend outing few months ago, at early hours of Saturday that I stopped a green coloured taxi to take me to my house at Wuye. I can vividly remember that it was golf saloon car and it was only the driver inside the car when I stopped the taxi.
“Surprisingly, few minutes into the journey, an arm stretched from my behind and pointed a pistol gun on my head. I was deeply frightened and knew we were under siege. From all indications, the accomplices were inside the boot of the car. They came out midway and joined the driver in the action.
“The driver was asked to park at an isolated location. They ransacked my girlfriend’s bag and got no reasonable money. Same was the case with me. They collected our phones, unlocked them and moved straight to Mobile Applications on the phones. Unluckily for us, the mobile applications were conspicuously displayed on the phone. Step by step, they opened it and requested for password and PIN, which we were forced to disclose. That was how they emptied our account.
“They transferred all money from the mobile application to Access bank account which we had the ATM with us. As they do the transfer, they used another bank ATM card which was with us to make the withdrawals at any nearby ATM point. With that, it looked as if we are same people that withdrew the money. It was a terrible experience.”
He said since then, he has neither used mobile applications nor move along with his ATM card: “What I do now is to use those transfer codes. I think it’s safer for me. I learnt my lesson in a hard way.”
Meanwhile, a customer service attendant at one of the commercial banks identified as Kasimu, admitted that they received complaints of ‘one chance robbery’ on daily basis, attributing it to ignorance on the side of the customers.
He advised bank customers with mobile applications on their phones to always device a means of safeguarding them or possibly making them invisible.
FCT Police speak
When contacted, spokesperson, FCT Police Command, Anjuguri Manzah, said the command has descended hard on ‘one chance’ operators in FCT, resulting in several arrest and prosecution of the suspects.
He, however, encouraged commuters in FCT to always patronise registered commercial vehicle operators, and try as much as possible to pen down the unique identification of the vehicle, particularly the registration number (plate number) and other unique inscriptions on the car.
He appealed to the FCT residents to assist the Command fight crime by simply reporting suspicious persons or commercial vehicle operators to nearest police station.