The suspect allegedly hacked into several bank accounts
to steal the money. Photo source: The Punch
Banker arrested for stealing N3million from
customers' accounts in Lagos
- A bank worker has been arrested in Lagos for hacking
into a customers' accounts to steal
- He allegedly diverted the sumof N3million from the
customers' accounts
- He was arrested with two other accomplices by the Lagos
police
The Nigeria Police Force, Lagos state command has arrested a
new generation bank worker, identified as Bunmi, for
allegedly conniving with two others to hack into a customer's
account and steal the sum of N3million.
The Punch reports that the fraud was uncovered after owners
of the accounts complained about their disappearing funds,
which made the bank to institute a probe.
Bunmi allegedly hacked into several bank accounts of
customers and diverted about N3million into private
accounts.
The alleged fraud was uncovered after owners of the accounts
complained about their disappearing funds, which made the
bank to institute a probe.
The bank management reportedly blocked the accounts into
which the funds were transferred.
Owners of the blocked accounts, who were reportedly
unaware that their accounts were being used for fraud, were
said to have reported at their various branches and
complained of the development.
The Zone 2 police spokesperson, CSP Dolapo Badmos, said
further investigations led to the arrest of Bunmi’s accomplices
– Babalola Akinyele, aka Olumba; and Adeshina Adenekan,
aka Oluwo Ake.
Badmos said: “Between November 2017 and January 2018, the
Zone 2 Police Command, through its Zonal Intervention Squad,
arrested two suspects who were members of a fraud syndicate.
They specialised in hacking into bank accounts.
“One of the suspects, Babalola Akinyele, operated with one
Bunmi, a worker at Zenith Bank. Bunmi’s role is to hack into
customers’ accounts and transfer money into different bank
accounts supplied by Adeshina Adenekan, who thereafter
withdraws the money with different Automated Teller Machine
cards and returns same to the syndicate.
"Akinyele and Adenekan receive 10 per cent each of the
proceeds from Bunmi, the arrowhead of the fraud. They
withdrew the money with ATM cards because they did not
want to enter into banking halls and be caught. So far, N3m
has been traced to them.
“We urge members of the public to be careful and not disclose
their Bank Verification Numbers and phone numbers to
strangers because these are the things they use to access
funds. The case is under investigation and effort is on to arrest
the bank worker, who is at large.”
One of the accomplice, Adeshina Adenekan, who confessed to
the crime said he met Bunmi at a car wash.
Adenekan said: “Bunmi helped me to unblock my ATM card. I
did not know that he worked in a bank until then. He later
said I should get some account numbers for him and I called
my friend, Adenekan, to assist me, which he did. Bunmi simply
said he wanted to transfer money into the accounts.
“I don’t know how the man used to do it, but whenever he
transferred money into the accounts, he would call us and we
would use ATM cards to withdraw the money. He took 70 per
cent, while we shared 30 per cent.
“Bunmi later called me and said he had left the bank and I
should throw away the SIM card we had been using to
communicate.”
