[b]Though I cannot verify the authenticity of the story, I believe you can learn something from it.
You might have received it before but I don't want to take chances.


About a month ago, a family friend in Abuja received anonymous telephone

calls and text messages demanding a ransom of NGN1,200,000, failure

which he and/or members of his family would either be kidnapped or shot.

No reason was given for the threat. The gang was very thorough in their

details of my friend's family and his movement. They gave him the first

and middle names of each of his children and his wife, which were known

only to very close relatives. On one occasion, the gang gave a

description of the clothes he wore on a particular day and the times he

went out and came in.



The recipient was advised to play along with the group while efforts

were made to contact the State Security Service (SSS) and the Police.



Two weeks ago, the gang issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the money to be

paid.

The SSS contacted the management of the commercial bank nominated by the

gang for the deposit of the ransom. My friend was then advised to

deposit the sum of NGN200,000 in the Abuja account. Three hours after

the deposit was made, attempt was made to withdraw the money in a branch

of the bank in Lagos. The bank immediately alerted the police who

arrested the man and kept him incommunicado.



As other members of the gang could not reach their member who was then

in Police custody, they rang my friend to enquire if he reported the

banking details to security agencies. When my friend enquired why they

asked, he was told that they had neither seen nor heard from the man

they sent to collect the ransom from the bank. The gang appeared to

have bought the lie sold to them by my friend when he told them that the

man might have absconded with the money. Two hours later, they sent an

account in another commercial bank for the remittance of the balance

ransom.



The security agencies again placed alert on the account after which my

friend paid in NGN200,000. Soon after the deposit was made, two men

worked into a branch of the commercial bank, again in Lagos, to withdraw

the money. They were both arrested and handed over to the police. All

three men are now being interrogated by the FCT Command of the Nigeria

Police.



In the course of the investigation, it was found that all three men had

been contracted by my friend to drill a borehole in his house about two

months ago.

While they were contstructing the borehole, my friend's wife had

occasions to take them in her car to some places in Abuja to purchase

materials for the works. On one occasion, she had left a file

containing her school records and other personal documents on the back

seat of the car. A member of the gang scanned through the file and

extracted some vital personal information with the use of his mobile

phone. Also, during the course of the two weeks when they drilled the

borehole, they had interviewed my friend's two little children, aged

four and three, to know their full names.



There is so much we can learn from this incident. First, personal and

sensitive information should not be left in a place where unauthorized

persons could have access to them. Second, in our homes we should use

only workmen who have been referenced and/or are familiar. And third,

we should teach our household members to not speak to strangers.[/b]