The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has advised customers never to tell anybody their bank details in order to avoid falling victim of electronic fraud.
The Commission’s head of consumer policy and development and monitoring unit, Banjo Ojo said in Bauchi that the information NCC was sharing with Nigerians should not be taken lightly in modern day electronic and financial transactions.
Ojo, who was speaking in Bauchi during a one-day sensitisation workshop, said: “Shine Your Eye, No Fall Mugu.”
He said that the workshop was geared toward sensitising people so that they could be able to protect themselves and have adequate information they need to toe their own line of businesses.
He said: “We in the NCC see it as a responsibility and our chief executive officer, Professor Garba Danbatta has given us the mandate, that is the consumer affairs unit of the commission, to go round the entire country and sensitise Nigerians so that no citizen fall victim of e-fraud.
“This information we are sharing with you, take it seriously, don’t trust anybody with it in modern day electronic and financial transactions, don’t trust anybody, particularly your PoS agent, not even your children, wives, relations.
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“The electronic fraud we call e-fraud are too numerous, but the major one everybody sees is the one that has to do with fake alert that marketers often receive, the issue of deducting your money from your bank account, when even you don’t know the person have access to your account”.
He further said that “There is also the issue of receiving text messages, and they will tell you that you have won a lottery of say N80, 000 when you have never played any lottery, they will send you a link and the moment you click on that link, you are already in trouble.”
The NCC head of consumer policy further said: “We are looking at e-fraud to make sure that we educate people on the major things that they must know, that is if you do not expose yourself, there is no way the criminals will enter your way.
“Exposing yourself means releasing your pin number to someone, it could be your friend, your PoS agent, may be, the security man in the bank, you say please help me draw money, I don’t know how to operate ATM machine, and the man will cram your ATM number.”
He isted information that should not be released to include- “your ATM card, the 16 digit numbers on your card, 3 digit numbers behind the card, validity date of the card, and the PIN numbers,” adding that “these were the five things you don’t trust anybody with, not even your children, wife, relations, or husband in case of a woman. So, shine your eye.”
According to Ojo, people simply use the NCC network to do all their e-transactions, that’s why the Commission sees it as a responsibility to sensitise Nigerians, and for them to have all protecting information so that they will not fall victim of e-fraud.
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“Now, when you have a complaint, you have series of avenues to do so, we have 622 you can dial from anywhere in the country. But remember, if you have any complaint, first of all go to your operating company that has customer care line to lodge the complaint there.
“If you don’t have access to calls, there are WhatsApp number, Facebook page, Instagram page, you can go to our website to lodge your complaint. However, when you come to electronic fraud, it is the security agency that you have to visit, not the NCC,” he said.
