By Charles Edet
Criminal have adapted a new crime operation to get hold of unsuspecting members of the public to divulge their ATM numbers to them.
The new trend is a subtle approach by criminals when they steal one’s personal and sensitive materials including an phone they reach out to any of their victims spouse through send a text with the pretext that it’s coming from the spouse.
Crime Prevention Unit, made the Information available, urging Nigerians to be careful on their response to supposed messages from their spouses or relations without returning the message with a call to ascertain if the message was actually sent by him or her. The true position of the sender will be made manifest from the reply.
According to the CPU, A lady’s handbag which contained her cell phone, credit card, purse etc was stolen.
Thirty minutes later she managed to call her husband from her friend’s telephone, telling him what happened.
Her husband said, “I just received your text message asking me to remind u of your ATM pin and I have replied a little while ago”.
When they rushed to the bank, the staff told them money had already been withdrawn.
The thief had used the stolen cell phone to text her husband and get hold of her PIN.
Within twenty minutes he (thief) had withdrawn her money from the bank account.
Pls when sensitive information is being asked for through text message, confirm by calling back.
Also, when being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them.
If you do not reach them, be very careful about going places to meet family and friends who text you.
The crime prevention unit appealed to Nigerians to get the ugly development shared through all necessary channels in order to nip the growing trend on the bud.
The Unit promised that it will continue to track the perpetrators, until they are caught and brought to the scrutiny of the law.
Crime prevention unit