So am sharing this, maybe it might help someone be more careful when things like this happens.

Two days ago been wednesday 25/07/2018 i came back early and went straight to my wife's shop, I dropped my Phone on top her table, carried my baby and decided to get noodles to eat from a lady who prepare noodles just across her shop.

When i came back I was like swht where's my phone, she looked at me and said she didn't see my phone that she only saw the ear phones and brought them inside.
I told her that the earphones were with the phones when I left.

That was when she remembered that a guy came to the shop immediately I left and wanted to buy almost everything, he requested for soap, tea, drinks, milk and some other things, and after she arranged everything the guy said he want to take cash from someone overthere to pay, and she (my wife) happy that she's gonna sell lot of stuffs was unsuspecting of anything.

It was after the guy left, she waited and the guy never returned before i came back.

That was when it dawned on us that the guy must have taken the phone while she was busy arranging his requests.


We dialed the number and it was already switched off.

I tried calling MTN to block my line, but the answering machine kept talking, i couldn't talk to any costumer care Rep.

Later in the night at about 7.25pm precisely we tried the number and it was ringing but the thief kept busying the calls.
that was when I realized something must be fishy because;

1. My Phone is pass worded, meaning my phone can't be accessed unless he's gonna flash the phone that night, and even if he does meaning all the info in my phone would be gone, so I wasn't loosing sleep

2. I have two sim in the phone, the second sim was still switched off.

my thoughts, why will my mtn sim be on and the second line off?

so we started dialing the number, the criminal kept on cutting the calls.

I was worried, does it mean these guys want to commit fraud with my line? why will someone still a phone and instead of throwing away the sim card< he still kept the sim.

I decided to go online to see the easiest way to talk to mtn costumer care service.
until i saw this;

"How To Easily Reach Any MTN Customer Care Rep? Dial 180. Press 9 to go the main menu. Press 6 for support. Press 0 to speak with a Customer Care Rep.".

I followed the procedures and finally i spoke with them to blocked the line.

after asking me a couple of questions and answering them successfully, they promised to block the line.

we kept on calling my line afterwards and it kept on ringing, till someone with well spoken English picked and sincerely i rained curses on him, the guy cut and i called him back he picked, He now told me to calm down that he's a police officer, and that the person that stole my phone was already arrested, that i should come to the station 8.am the next morning, which was yesterday.
I told him to give me his number that i have already called mtn to block the line, He declined giving me his number saying there's no need, that his name is Osas, once i get to the station I should ask of him.

After I dropped to my surprise he called me back and said I should call mtn not to block the line, I said ok, but I decided not to call MTN back.

first thing in the morning yesterday, i went to the station to complain but I was told there's no officer with the name osas in that station, that I have been deceived.

So i went to MTN office to retrieve my line.

But decided to check my account balance, lo and behold, the some of 15k had already been deducted from my account.

How did they manage to do that i don't know, but thank God for the timely intervention of MTN agent that night.

But all I know is that the line is the line linked with my BVN number and that's what i use to receive alert.

immediately my sim cad was active yesterday all the alert were just pouring in, and to my surprise they were removing, 1000, 2000, 1000......
but thank God that they didn't remove everything once, towards the end before the line was blocked, they even checked my balance to know how much was remaining.

Only God know what would have happen to my account if the line wasn't swiftly blocked.

Am sharing this so that others can also learn. These fraudster are real and ready to wreck havoc.

Please join me to say thank you to baba God.

Bros, get 3 accounts, 2 for everyday transactions so if one has network issues you use the other, don't put much on them unless needed, one for saving, the one for saving must not be connected to your phone line and must not have atm or online features active, only way to transact is by entering bank.

crafteck:
Bros, get 3 accounts, 2 for everyday transactions so if one has network issues you use the other, don't put much on them unless needed, one for saving, the one for saving must not be connected to your phone line and must not have atm or online features active, only way to transact is by entering bank.

Thanks boss, though I run two active accounts, one saving, and second is my biz account.

I will go deactivate the online features, and then get another savings account as you rightly advised. will do so ASAP, probably today

SO MANY DECEPTIVE PEOPLE.
FEAR HUMANS.

Exact that happened to me,lesson learnt. but the best thing to do is to password ur phone and simcards.So even if they take the sim out of ur phone(becos ur phone is locked) they will still need to password the sim to assess ur account,in which if the input wrong codes 3tyms it will lock ur sim in their phne automatically asking for PUK number which its only u dt have such

QuickStandard:


Thanks boss, though I run two active accounts, one saving, and second is my biz account.

I will go deactivate the online features, and then get another savings account as you rightly advised. will do so ASAP, probably today

Thats the way forward, each time the 2 accounts rise to tangible amount, flush them into savings, you will be too lazy to line up at your savings bank often and after few months, you would be suprised how much uve saved

Danielomisco:
Exact that happened to me,lesson learnt. but the best thing to do is to password ur phone and simcards.So even if they take the sim out of ur phone(becos ur phone is locked) they will still need to password the sim to assess ur account,in which if the input wrong codes 3tyms it will lock ur sim in their phne automatically asking for PUK number which its only u dt have such

Thanks boss for the advice, in fact am passwording my sim card already.