Simbi Oge (not her real name), a teacher based in Enugu, experienced a financial nightmare on February 6 when she discovered that her United Bank for Africa (UBA) account had been drained of N180,139. This occurred just 20 days after a UBA employee assisted her in setting up mobile banking, and despite her efforts, she has yet to recover the funds eight months later.
Oge recounted to FIJ that she picked up her phone around 10:00 PM, only to find that the money she had painstakingly saved for over a year had been transferred to an unknown account. Shocked by the unauthorized transactions, she reached out to UBA, who claimed the transactions were made using her phone—an assertion she found hard to believe as she lives alone and had not shared her banking details with anyone.
The unauthorized debits, totaling N180,139, were executed through five transactions between 8:29 PM and 8:40 PM on February 6. By the time Oge noticed, her account balance had dwindled to N24,305. She promptly contacted UBA’s helpline, and her account was blocked to prevent further losses.
Suspicions of Internal Breach
Oge has reasons to suspect that the transactions might have been orchestrated internally. Her suspicions are rooted in a visit to the UBA branch in Nsukka on January 17, where an employee named Caleb helped her link her account to her email and set up the mobile banking app. Caleb also accessed her phone to input a code required to open her emailed account statement, which she found unusual.
On February 7, the day after the disappearance of her funds, Oge returned to the UBA branch to report the incident. The bank suggested it was the work of a fraudster and advised her to wait 15 days for a response from their Abuja office. Dissatisfied, Oge met with the branch manager, who implied that anyone could be a suspect, including herself.
After the 15-day wait, Oge received a document indicating her money had been transferred to a PalmPay account under the name Ahmad Mahumma. The manager recommended she pursue legal action, leaving Oge frustrated and disappointed.
“I left the office disappointed,” she said. “I visited the manager’s office not less than three times and always came out frustrated. I am convinced the bank knows what happened because I didn’t lose my phone or share any sensitive information.”
Despite sending an email to UBA in August demanding an explanation and a refund, the bank responded by suggesting her account details had been compromised, leading to the unauthorized transactions.
Struggling for Resolution.
The ordeal has taken a significant toll on Oge, who described the impact of the missing funds: “This has frustrated my life and made me live in fear. I am just a graduate yet to find a stable job, and the little I earned from teaching was taken without explanation.”
Her attempts to seek help from a human rights organization were unsuccessful due to financial constraints, leaving her feeling isolated and helpless. Since blocking her account, she has refrained from using it.
When FIJ reached out to UBA for comment, the bank stated: “We do not divulge our customer’s account information to third parties. Please have the account holder contact us directly for further assistance. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.”
Credit to Foundation for Investigative Journalism
