Niger State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old online vendor, Akinnowonu Damilola Victoria, for defrauding over one hundred customers of about one hundred and fifty million naira in Minna, the state capital.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Niger State Command Police Public Relations Officer, DSP W. A Abiodun, on Friday.
According to the statement, Victoria tricked her customers into believing that her goods had been seized by Customs, and she also rented two warehouses for over two million naira, which she utilised to further her fraud schemes.
The statement partly read, “A case of cheating, criminal breach of trust and internet-related offenses was referred to the Command from Magistrate Court Minna on 22/05/2023 involving one Akinnowonu Damilola Victoria aged 23yrs of Kolawole Street Tunga, Minna.
“Immediately the case was referred, Police operatives attached to SCID swung into action and the suspect was arrested with the help of the family and during interrogation, she claimed to have been operating an online business for about a year, via a link she discovered on Facebook, by showcasing items such as female clothes, bags, shoes, phones, laptops and other electronic gadgets.
“She said that through this act, she was able to gather many customers online who usually place orders for such items. She asserted further that due to her customers' complaints about price, she took some orders at a low rate and sometimes used the proceeds to supply other customers.
“Consequently, piling up orders she could not meet up for other transactions. Preliminary investigation revealed that she deceived her victims that her goods were seized by the Customs. She also rented two warehouses located in Tunga/Kpakungu areas of Minna with over two million naira, which she used to deepen her fraud escapades.
“She confessed that by her rough estimates, she is owing over one hundred customers to the tune of about one hundred and fifty million naira. Presently about 72 victims have so far surfaced at SCID Minna to give the police statements of their ordeal with the suspect.”