The scamsters are at it again, after trying to lure people by emails using the name of RBI Governor, now they have resorted to Facebook, here they are using the name of a former Nigerian Governor Peter Otunuya Odili, who allegedly was found to have committed corruption worth billions of dollars.
The modus operandi of the online scamsters is the same, earlier they used to contact a victim by sending an email. On Facebook, the scamsters first send in a friend request posing as somebody else such as a former governor. After engaging the victim in friendly talks, they then approach the victim with an ‘offer,’ just too good to believe.
The scamster posing as Odili Peter, a former governor of his country said :Hello, how are you doing? I am His Excellency Dr. Peter Odili, a former state governor, i have a purpose of contacting you here on facebook, not just for only friendship, but for a great opportunity, i would like to have a brief discussion with you.
The man then asks the victim for his email ID and phone number for further contact. The next minute a mail claiming to be highly confidential will arrive in your mail box stating: “Why i’m contacting you is, when I was the Rivers state Governor in Nigeria, there was a contract that I awarded to one Mr. XYZ, as a foreign contractor and government approved it and paid some upfront payment to him so few months ago our federal government paid all the contractors and the balance of 29.2 million united state dollars was approved to be paid to him but for the past two years I haven’t heard from him so I want to present you as the owner of the contract.” The scamsters even go on to assure the victims that the whole thing is genuine and after the money transfer, 65 per cent of the money will go to Mr Odili,while the remaining would belong to the victim. The catch,however, is that to get the millions,the victim will have to make a payment of 2,000 dollars.
As is the case with any cyber scam,the police have only advise to everyone that is to stay away. “Don't be greedy. Stay away from such offers which are just too good to believe,” suggested Deputy Superintendent of Police, CID (Cyber Crime), T V Prabhakar.