Tobiloba Adeleke, a resident of Lagos, has narrated how unknown persons used her stolen phone to take unwanted loans totalling N893,000 from Access Bank. The bank is demanding that she repay N1.25 million.
Adeleke told FIJ that the incident occurred between May 22 and 28.
“On my way to work on May 22, my phone was stolen by unknown persons on the newly constructed Yaba Bridge,” Adeleke told FIJ in an interview on Friday.
“It was actually raining heavily that day and there was a crowd of people. The phone was stolen as I was trying to push through the crowd and find a safe place where I wouldn’t get soaked by the rain.
“As soon as I realized my phone was stolen, I borrowed a phone from the person standing next to me in the rain and called in tears. It rang several times, but no one answered.”
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Adeleke said she then had her two most active bank accounts, First Bank and OPay, frozen so that the thief of her phone could not access the few funds it contained.
However, her Access Bank account was not frozen as there was no money in it, which ultimately led to major financial problems for the Lagos resident.
“My decision not to freeze my Access Bank account did not stop the perpetrators from inflicting suffering on me,” Adeleke said.
“Unbeknownst to me, while I was trying to recover my 9mobile number, the thieves had used my phone four times to take out loans through my Access Bank account.
“Unfortunately, this was the only bank account I didn’t close after my phone was stolen.
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“The persons borrowed N293,800, N145,600, N239,500 and N214,600 from Access Bank in my name.”
Adeleke further told FIJ that it was only when she checked her phone number that she realised what had happened.
“I have since visited several Access Bank branches and told them that I did not know anything about the loan, but they all gave me the same answer that I must find a way to repay the 1,250,000 naira,” Adeleke said.
“The N1,250,000 is for the loans taken in my name and the interest thereon.
“I don’t even know what to do right now. I can’t sleep at night either. How do I repay N1,250,000 for a loan I didn’t take? My salary is also only N74,000. Please, I need help.”
The FIJ learnt that some of the loans obtained by the fraudsters from Access Bank were transferred to a UBA account with number 2330360737 belonging to a certain Rofiat Abike Fatai and a Smartcash Payment Services account with number 9073633190 belonging to a certain Oluchukwu Igwe.
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When FIJ sent an email to Access Bank’s complaints department about the incident on Friday afternoon, Abayomi Okunola, a representative of the financial institution, responded on Saturday evening:
“We understand your concerns regarding fraudulent transactions. Please note that a complaint has been filed on your behalf and you will receive feedback once it is completed. The issue has also been escalated to the relevant team.”
When Adeleke received the officer’s response, she said: “I have received a similar response before. That has not changed anything. As for Access Bank, I still owe them 1,250,000 naira.”