I jumped on a thread created by a nairalander that was a victim of the on going scam at emeka offor's plaza and i must tell u that what the o.p said is truely true. I experienced it first hand over two years ago, i thought by now they may have met their water-loo and quit such interprises.
over two years ago i had this LG phone i had used and felt like changing it for a new one, which is one of the businesses in emeka offor plaza. So i went to emeka offors plaza and i met one of this boys at the entrant of the plaza-the containers opposite the major emeka offors plaza, the boy asked me if i came to buy fairly used phone or swap, i told him i came to swap, so he took me to one of the phone's shops and i met with the dealer and narrated everything to him and he asked the guy that took me to him to tell me how things are been done, the guy told how they will test the phone on system to verify the faults and asked if i was ready that it wount cost me much. I agreed i was ready and we went for it...in the shop of this scammers they is this fair boy called oyibo-his color is albino related. I know it must be that boy that the earlier o.p met. They ran it and charged me N4,000, and i screamed that the given phone is not even up to that amount, and they said it aint their business, that the procedure is funded with high amount of money. I started begging them to help me receive a thousand naira from me, they declined and we bargained till they agreed. Reason is that i wanted to abandon the phone with them. So they took the N1000 for what they did not work for. When i was giving them the money, i rained curses on the boy that took me there, knowing fully well that he is a member and knows everything that was going on. This boy felt it and asked me to come get my money back, i declined and left without swapping the phone again.
My advice to you is that, if u are going for phone swapping at emeka offors plaza, dont allow those boys scan you phone. If any dealer refers u to scanning, then that dealer is not interested in the type of phone u went with. An interested dealer will go with u and do everything without charging u anything.
Anyone can be victimised, it is not all about been smart. I had done business in onitsha for 7years in my uncles shop before i fell for that.

See another one, do you know the reason these thieves are still around? I'll tell you, it's because of people like you who either don't think before they leap, or are too proud to enlist the help of someone that's knowledgeable in these things or are just plain stúpid.

I have two friends that bought fake Samsung Galaxy phones for exorbitant prices because of their own ignorance and stupidity.

Ikeja computer village Rules.

RULE 1. Never do business with the guys you see on the street of ikeja computer village.

khalhokage:
See another one, do you know the reason these thieves are still around? I'll tell you, it's because of people like you who either don't think before they leap, or are too proud to enlist the help of someone that's knowledgeable in these things or are just plain stúpid.

I have two friends that bought fake Samsung Galaxy phones for exorbitant prices because of their own ignorance and stupidity.

what are u saying? Are you all the victims of this boys has always been stupid? Do u think it a one month thing? This boys hav been doing this things for years now, how come no one person have been able to arrest or do anything to them, oga jack beuer?

Another mugu sported!