The Nigerian Army has raised the alarm over the activities of “fraudsters” operating fake social media accounts with the identities of senior military officers to deceive and defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.
In a disclaimer issued on Sunday, the army said the impersonators were operating fraudulent Facebook accounts bearing the name of the Deputy Chief of Standards and Evaluation (Army), Terungwa Utsaha, while using the photograph of the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Bamidele Alabi, to lend credibility to the scam.
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The army attached screenshots of chats the fraudsters had with some Nigerians seeking to join the army. In one of the screenshots, the account operators instructed a job seeker—whose previous attempts to enlist in the military had apparently failed — to contact an officer identified as Mike to purchase a “replacement form.”
A Facebook search by PREMIUM TIMES shows that there are six accounts created in Mr Utsaha’s name, and all of them carried the same picture of Mr Alabi, whom the army identified as Chief of Policy and Plans.
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The army described the accounts as fake and malicious, warning members of the public not to respond to friend requests, financial solicitations, or unofficial engagements linked to the impersonators.
According to the statement, the fraudulent accounts were created with the intent to exploit unsuspecting individuals through false representations and online deception.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to categorically state that the said Facebook accounts are fake and were created with malicious intent to defraud individuals through false representations and unauthorised online engagements,” the army stated.
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It further stated that senior military officers do not conduct official transactions, award contracts, request financial assistance or engage in sensitive official matters through personal social media platforms or unofficial online channels.
The army urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious social media activities to relevant security agencies.
It assured the public that measures were being taken to track and prosecute individuals or groups involved in cyber impersonation and related fraudulent activities.
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