Police Nab Serial Facebook Scammer Using Former Police PRO’s Identity

Chiemelie Ezeobi

The State Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (SIIB) of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested a serial Facebook scammer, one Peter Ajani, for using the name of former Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ngozi Braide, a Superintendent of Police, to defraud people.

Similar incidents happened in 2013 when Braide held sway as the command’s first female PPRO, when about seven fake Facebook accounts were opened in her name and used to defraud innocent citizens.

Already, a cursory glance on Facebook as at Friday revealed that a whopping 22 fake Facebook accounts have been opened with her name with different introductions.

The fraudulent accounts have since been yielding money for the perpetrators, who demand for monetary gains from their unsuspecting victims.

In this present case, the 29-year-old from Yemetu Ataadorin, Ibadan, Egbeda Local Government Area, Oyo State, was said to have successfully defrauded several people of thousands of Naira before he was arrested.

The suspect was said to have been operating several accounts in Braide’s name, even though she does not operate any social media account.

Although they have been operating the accounts successfully, Ajani was arrested after he duped a teacher (name withheld) with the Benue State Government of the sum of N80,000.

The teacher was said to have made contact with one of the dubious Facebook accounts and was told to bring money to influence his appointment in the ongoing police recruitment scheme.

The victim said he never doubted their authenticity because they had apparently registered the number they called him with Ngozi Braide’s identity.

According to him, he had used Truecaller (a social media application that reveals the identity of a caller) to check out the number and it showed that it purportedly belonged to Braide.
However, when they sent an account number, it was bearing a Yoruba woman’s name, but again he said that didn’t arouse his suspicion as they explained it was a front.

FURTHER DETAILS LATER