The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has distanced himself from scammers who cloned the phone numbers of high-profile individuals to solicit funds from unsuspecting members of the public.
The SGF, who warned the public to be wary of such schemes, alerted that the modus operandi of the scammers was to tell victims that they had been pencilled down for Federal Government appointments while demanding payment of money to facilitate such fake appointments.
In a statement signed by Akume’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, and made available to PUNCH Online on Thursday, the SGF said, “The warning became necessary as the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has been inundated with enquiries relating to the activities of these fraudulent individuals and groups.
“The fraudsters also attach bank account details to messages sent to the would-be victims for funds deposit ranging from N5m to N15m in addition to asking them to send their curriculum vitae to cloned emails.”
He also emphasised that the appointment processes for Nigerians into boards and parastatals are transparent and verifiable, urging individuals not to pay any money in expectation of securing a position.
“From information available to the office, the fraudsters cloned the voice of the SGF, using it to solicit money in return for federal appointments.
“Some of the account details of the scammers made available to the office are domiciled in, but not limited to, both new generation banks and the popular fintech mobile money operating companies in the country.
“While the relevant security agencies have been briefed on the matter, the Office of the SGF strongly advises Nigerians to report the activities of these fraudulent people to the authorities while taking all precautionary steps necessary to avoid being victims of the scammers,” the statement added.
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