onismate:
I have never been a fan of mobile banking app because of its conditions in Nigeria. The too many hitches like connection error, service time out and too many charges, deductions from accounts. I always frown at mobile banking but I have no choice but to move with time.
First bank is one bank I was not a fan of. Right from unset I had been hearing about the poor services of the bank, their rude customer care agents, massive unorganized queue. I didn’t like it but fortunately (because there is no unfortunate in my dictionary) I was given the bank by NYSC for receiving my monthly allowance. But yet they still have great number, highest customers in Nigeria. I had no choice that to use the bank. Unless maybe I didn’t want to be paid by the FG. Fortunately, my Place of primary assignment (PPA) was far from the main town and there is no bank and ATM in the small town. So we have to move to move to the main Port Harcourt town to withdraw and any form of financial transactions.
In late April, 2016, one of my sisters was planning on sending me a huge sum of money for something important. And that same month my domain was nearing expiration on 30th of same month.
On the 30th I was preparing to go to Port Harcourt to renew my domain when I encountered some challenges. I couldn’t even leave my PPA to Port Harcourt. I was stuck, and there was no bank in the community, no ATM and I couldn’t reach anyone who was able to help do the transaction. And I couldn’t just back-out, I don’t want to lose my domain name. I was left with doing an online transaction. What I was running away from, I had to go for it. It’s not a choice, it’s just the best option at that moment. I downloaded the First bank mobile app which I used to pay for my domain. That marked a new turn, and I began using the Firstmobile, though not frequently.
On 2/06/2016, my sister sent N210,000 into my first bank account. Ofcourse I was happy because it felt like God has buttered my bread and added meat untop of my rice and stew. And no be say she borrow me ooo, na dash she dash me the money. I was hoping to leave the money and use it to start up any small scale business after my passing out. N210,000 plus the money I have in the account and other cash I hoped to be in the account.
On 8/06/2016 at about 10:17am, I was coming back from Port Harcourt. I entered a car in Choba going to Buguma. The journey was so smooth after passing the police check point after Choba park. When we got to Ogbakiri junction to divert to Kalabari kingdom. We met some men thinking it was just the usual police check point. Not knowing that they are kidnappers. Everything looked like a dream. Not until they asked us to get down from the car and began beating us. Two of them had guns. Within 10 minutes, they had pushed the 5 of us inside their jeep. We began hearing gunshots from behind. I guessed the police where fast approaching. The kidnappers had to move us out of the place. I thought the police would keep up chase, but it wasn’t. I was full of fear. I didn’t even though where we were being taken to. I no know road. Na corper I be oo. We were taken to an uncompleted building and made to seat on the ground. We were 5 they kidnapped, a young woman and 3 men. I was the only youth there.
We were taken to one uncompleted building, collected our pulse, phones, handbags and my wallet. I had heard of kidnappers collecting ATM cards and pins from victims and zapping their accounts, but this was it! They collected the money from us and ATM cards. Funny enough we were just 2 that had our ATM cards with us. My other fellow passengers said they don’t use ATM. And the kidnappers said they were not releasing those without ATM. They will have to call their families to pay ransomed. I was so scared within me. “All the money I had in my account will be taken away,” I thought to myself. “How will tell my story? The money I was planning to use to startup small business.” My second account in another bank has only N23,000 in it. “Thank God I left the ATM card at home, if not they will still demand for it and will still collect the remaining money in it,” I thought to myself, because they said they will collect all the monies in our account before they release us. Even if it takes 3 or 5 five days, they will keep us there till they get what they want.
I gave them my ATM card and pins. The other man gave them his own too. It was sad because he had about 4 ATM cards with him. He gave it to them with the pins. I was so scared when two of them went to withdraw the money. I was just praying in my mind for God to perform miracle and my ATM card will just be deactivated or for it not to pay.
20 minutes later, my phone rang. One of them still with us there cut it. And it rang again and again. He asked who owns the phone. I said I was the one. He said if not because of he loved the ringtone, he would have smashed it. “So you dey watch Empire?” he asked me. I said “Yes.” My ringtone was “ready to go” by Jamal from empire. Infact I had almost all the songs used in the series. I tried to see if I could chat with him, if that will make us friendly and will turn his mind around to tell his fellow kidnappers not to withdraw my money. I told him that I have almost all the empire songs used in the movie series. He said it was nice. He asked how I got them. I told him I downloaded them online. He said he only stopped in season 2, episode 10. I told him I had watched it till episode 18 in season 2. I told him I have the whole series till the current one on my phone. I told him I could even send them to him from my phone. He smiled. He said I was not going to get my phone back. That they can only give me my sim back. He asked me the password of my phone and I told him. Na so he open the phone. 5 minutes later, he said he couldn’t find the film. I told him where he will find the series and gave him password to that folder. I believed he had challenges operating the phone. He had to give me my phone to open the folder. I was so scared as my hands shake while operating the phone. As I was swiping to get to the folder, I came across the Firstmobile app. Something in me said, “why don’t you transfer your money in First bank to your GTB account.” At first I was scared, I didn’t know if the ones that had gone to withdraw had already completed the transaction. Or in the process I was caught! I had to summon courage, on my network as fast as possible. I logged in and my N265,540 was still there in my first bank account. I transferred the money to my GT bank account. Infact the network in the area was so fast that I did everything within 45 seconds. The kidnapper that gave me my phone felt I was wasting a lot of time. He thought maybe I was sending a text message to people about the kidnap. He came I asked why I was still wasting time. I told him I was still on it as I had already logged out and opened the empire movie folder for me.
Barely 15 minutes time, they received a call from the ones that went to withdraw that my account has only N540. Nothing dey there. They said they were going to hold me there. I began pleading that I am just a corper.
After 3 hours, I was released but my phone and other stuff in my wallet was taken. My NYSC I.D card was also given to me. They said they just released me because I had nothing to offer. I was able to leave the environment only to discover I was in Bayelsa state. And that was how First bank app saved me from being duped by kidnappers.
http://www.hovabuzz.com/frontline/1168-how-first-bank-mobile-app-saved-me-from-being-defrauded-by-kidnappers Wow, interesting but if they had caught you in the process ehn, your own for finish. Thank your God for the wisdom he gave you for transferring it to another acct, eye opener. |
