ONLINE VENDOR DEFRAUDS CUSTOMERS

Online Vendor Arrested by Police for Defrauding Customers of N150m

The Niger State Police Command apprehended a 23-year-old online vendor, Akinnowonu Damilola Victoria, for engaging in fraudulent activities and scamming more than one hundred customers, resulting in a loss of approximately one hundred and fifty million naira. The arrest took place in Minna, the capital city of Niger State.

In a statement issued by DSP W. A Abiodun, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Command, it was revealed that Victoria employed various deceptive tactics to trick her customers. She falsely claimed that her merchandise had been confiscated by Customs authorities. Additionally, she rented two warehouses worth over two million naira, which she utilized to further perpetrate her fraudulent schemes.

The statement provided further details: "On 22/05/2023, a case involving one Akinnowonu Damilola Victoria, 23 years old, residing on Kolawole Street in Tunga, Minna, was referred to the Command from the Magistrate Court in Minna. The case involves charges of cheating, criminal breach of trust, and internet-related offenses. Once the case was brought to our attention, our officers attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) promptly took action and apprehended the suspect with the assistance of her family. During the interrogation, the suspect confessed to operating an online business for approximately one year. She advertised various items such as women's clothing, bags, shoes, phones, laptops, and other electronic gadgets through a link she discovered on Facebook."

The statement continued, "Through this fraudulent operation, she was able to amass numerous online customers who would place orders for the advertised items. To accommodate customers complaining about prices, she occasionally accepted orders at lower rates and used the proceeds to fulfill other customer orders. Consequently, she accumulated a backlog of orders that she could not fulfill. Preliminary investigations revealed that she deceived her victims by claiming that her merchandise had been seized by Customs. Additionally, she rented two warehouses located in the Tunga/Kpakungu areas of Minna, spending over two million naira, which she utilized to facilitate her fraudulent activities."

The statement concluded by stating, "The suspect admitted that, by her rough estimates, she owes over one hundred customers approximately one hundred and fifty million naira. So far, 72 victims have come forward to the SCID Minna to provide police statements regarding their unfortunate encounters with the suspect."