Do NSA and CPC mind victims of fraudsters?

Tunji Ajibade

The Office of the National Security Adviser and the Consumer
Protection Council are on my radar today. The Nigeria Police and
the Nigerian Communications Commission aren’t left out too. The
fact that most of those who defraud Nigerians go about free and
feeling good is the reason. My encounters give me the impression
that about 75 per cent of Nigerians engage in illegal activities.
And 30 per cent of this actively do something fraudulent. Why those
numbers?

One, it’s easy to get away with illegal acts in Nigeria. Most of
those who defraud or attempt to and are reported don’t get any
attention. Two, most citizens do something illegal involving any of
the following: Bribery, selling and buying of banned items,
cultism, fake academic certificates, forged official documents,
false age declaration, bank fraud, illegal oil deals, diversion of
public funds, and inflated contract sums in government Ministries,
Departments and Agencies. Perpetrators include students, civil
servants, contractors, lawyers, accountants, auditors, doctors and
other professionals, uniformed men and women, and top officials in
the public and private sectors. If it doesn’t affect relevant
government agencies and top public figures aren’t duped, no one
cares to investigate or punish fraudsters. Live and let live is the
name of the game here. We tag only the few that are caught. But a
high percentage of those caught don’t get to pay the price. They
are free, flaunting the proceeds of their criminal acts thereby
luring others into crime and criminality.

A few years ago, someone claimed online that he had cars for
sale. He wanted me to make advance payment. I went to the manager
of the bank which account he sent to me. The manager opened his
page. He’s 22 years old and identifies himself as “Applicant” with
an untraceable permanent home address. His page showed a long list
of sums paid into his bank account. The money was always withdrawn
shortly after it was paid. The Bank Manager said if I had paid into
the boy’s account, he would have made it impossible for him to
withdraw it until he came forward for further verification. No
other action was taken on the matter.

I chose the issue of fraudsters because for the second time in
five months someone tried to fraudulently engage me. His own tactic
is different. He called to say his old man mistakenly sent the pin
numbers on phone recharge cards to my phone. He wanted me to send
the numbers back. That was five months ago. A few days ago, he
called with the same complaint. When I ignored him, he sent an SMS
with the supposed pin numbers on two different mobile phone
recharge cards. He wanted me to sell the pin, and use the money to
travel to see his old man who was to direct me on how to offer some
sacrifices for my own good. Some send emails claiming they have
business they want me to be involved in. Others send URLs in emails
that they want me to click but which would compromise my account.
Others use the names of reputable banks as a cover. Millions of
Nigerians who are victims of these fraudsters silently nurse their
wounds.

Yet, fraudsters use platforms that relevant government agencies
could easily monitor and, that way, keep a finger on those
involved. They openly use emails and unconcealed phone numbers. But
many of them defraud their victims and continue in business
unchecked. For me, one reason is that our system doesn’t
intelligently gather and utilise traceable information which
victims and potential victims of fraudsters can make available. A
few years ago, I received some suspicious messages supposedly from
my bank. I approached the bank for confirmation. I also went to
check how the system worked when a Nigerian brought forward a case
of attempted fraud. A bank official confirmed the messages were
fraudulent. What could the bank do about it? The official shrugged,
explaining that even the mobile phone network providers didn’t help
much with the illegal pre-registered SIM cards that were so
prevalent. The process was messed up such that fraudsters might
still not be traceable, she added.

What if one wants such phone numbers noted down in a data bank
that the bank may have for subsequent reference and investigative
purposes? I had asked the bank official. I thought when banks and
other relevant agencies had such information, whose activity they
should monitor and where to check for possible leads in case of
future fraudulent activity would be easier. Why? Crime has a DNA.
When a person defrauds successfully, he will do it again and again.
Keeping a national record of attempts to defraud, to me, makes it
easier for investigators to have a list of leads to quickly follow.
It’s part of intelligence gathering and it happens in
well-organised climes. These were the things I had in mind as I
asked the bank official questions about storing the details that I
brought. But her what-can-we-do response further confirms to me how
weak our crime prevention system is, and how disconnected. Mobile
phone network providers mess up the SIM card registration process.
Banks and relevant government agencies don’t have a data bank for
reports about fraudsters. In the event, Nigerians remain perpetual
victims of their fraudulent countrymen.

The NSA, Babagana Monguno, was on TV late October. He sat with
army chiefs and, among other things, warned citizens who used
drones illegally. But drones, for now, are a second-rate threat.
Digital fraud and fraud perpetrated via registered mobile phone SIM
cards portend immediate economic and security dangers to the
nation. Yet, there’s no tangible commitment on the part of the
government to monitor and keep data on professional fraudsters as
is the case in other countries. Whatever unit The Nigeria Police
may have regarding this isn’t, as usual, working. A few days ago,
the NCC promised to ensure no masked phone number is used on its
mobile phone platform anymore. It said it would adopt a technology
solution that would help track and apprehend culprits, as well as
investigate channels used to commit the illegality. It’s good. But
how about a unit to which citizens could submit mobile phone
numbers/online addresses and URLs through which fraudsters attempt
to defraud them? I call on the Consumer Protection Council to take
this up.

In other nations, consumer protection bodies lead this cause.
For instance, Consumer Rights in the UK
(www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights) says if you’re the victim of a
mimicking scam online, where fraudsters pretend to be from a
genuine company, it’s worth contacting the company that has been
mimicked. In Nigeria, I contacted my bank but nothing happened. The
UK body further says a victim could report Internet fraud to Action
Fraud, UK’s national fraud and crime reporting centre. This
provides a central point of contact about fraud and financially
motivated Internet crime. After reporting a scam, one gets a police
crime reference number and the case will be referred to the
National Fraud Intelligence Bureau for analysis by the City of
London Police. This isn’t happening in Nigeria, a reason fraudsters
wax stronger.

Fraudulent messages through phones could also be reported to the
Phone-paid Services Authority in the UK. The PSA is the official
regulator for content, goods and services, charged to a phone bill.
But a call to it regarding fraudulent messages is toll free. I
suppose these are measures our nation should also ensure are in
place in the face of so many fraudsters hurting law abiding
Nigerians. As the UK’s Consumer Rights notes, “Fraud is now at
record levels, with more than five million scams costing Brits a
mind-boggling £9bn each year.” Based on this, it urged the UK
Government to take the lead and ensure companies safeguard citizens
from scammers.

It’s not right that fraudsters harass Nigerians and they are
left unchecked as my bank did that time. The CPC especially should
have an active platform where fraudsters using our digital and
mobile phone spaces could be reported and their contact details
stored. It should pass on this information to the relevant agency
that can identify reported fraudsters as well as monitor them. In
order to ensure a unit responsible for this purpose is set up under
the relevant government agency, the CPC should continue to speak up
until the NSA, the police and the NCC pay attention.

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