Seasons of receiving Gifts and Presents will always happen. This old scam, which has to do with ‘Gifts and Presents’, is cleverly woven such that you will never suspect that something is wrong. But do not fall for it!
Please read on:
"On Wednesday a week ago, I got a phone call from someone saying that he was from a company called "Express Couriers". He enquired if I was home because there was a package for me that required a signature; and the delivery will arrive at my house in about an hour.
Sure enough, about an hour later, a uniformed delivery man turned up with a parcel and a bottle of wine. I was very surprised since I didn’t plan any special occasion, and wasn’t expecting any gifts either.
Pleasantly surprised yet suspicious, I asked to know who the sender was. The courier man replied: "I don't know; I am only here to deliver the package." Adding: "maybe the sender wants to give you a surprise, and then later send you a card."
Actually, my birthday was round the corner, so I thought it could be from a distant friend. There was also a consignment note attached to the gift.
He then went on to explain that because the gift contained alcohol, there was a N1000 "delivery/verification charge," to show that he had actually delivered the package to an adult (of legal drinking age), and not just left it somewhere on the doorsteps where it could be stolen or taken away by anyone, especially a minor.
I called my husband and he said the price of the wine is in the region of N10,000. To me, the N1000 demand seemed logical and I offered to pay him cash. But he turned down the cash payment, because according to him, the delivery company requires payment to be made by credit, ATM or debit card only; this is to ensure that everything is properly accounted for.
He also added that they also don't carry cash to avoid loss or become likely targets for robbery.
Based on that, my husband pulled out his ATM CARD and gave him to swipe on a small mobile card machine with a small screen and keypad, and then keyed in his verification code.
Frankly, at this point we never suspected anything abnormal. A receipt was printed out for us. He then wished us good day and went his way.
To our horrifying surprise, between Friday and the following Monday, N450,000 had been withdrawn from our account from various ATM machines!
Apparently the "mobile ATM card machine," which the delivery man carried with him, had all the info necessary to create a "clone" card with all the card details, including the verification code.
Upon finding out about the illegal transactions on our card, we immediately notified the bank to stop payment, but it was already too late.
We went to make a Police report. But at the station, we found out that quite a number of households had been similarly hit."
WARNING: We love Gifts! But be wary of accepting any "surprise gift or package" which you neither expected nor personally ordered, especially if it involves any kind of payment as a condition of receiving the gift or package. Also never accept anything if you do not personally know or there is no proper identification of who the sender is.
Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase or transaction.
Related: Scam Alert: Bros! Shine Your Eyes!
Related: A Basic Stratagem of Fraudulent Businesses
Stay Smart, Wealthy and Wise!
