Banker Uses Fake Bank Alert SMS to Swindle Customer N250,000 in Lagos

A banker with one of the new generation banks has been arrested and charged to court for defrauding N250,000 from a customer using forged bank alert text message. The banker identified as Christopher Ademola, 49, was on Wednesday arraigned at a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

The accused is being tried on a four-count charge bordering on fraud, forgery, theft and impersonation.

The Prosecutor, ASP. Richard Odigie, said the accused committed the offences on Jan. 21 at about 10:00 a.m. at Okesuna Street on Lagos Island.

He said that Ademola, a sacked employee of one of the new generation banks, under a false pretext, obtained N250, 000 from one Balikis Sholaja, a customer of the bank.

Odigie alleged that Sholaja, who thought the accused was still a staff of the bank, entrusted him with N250, 000 to assist her to open a fixed deposit account.

The prosecutor told court that the accused also forged the bank’s credit alert text message and sent it to the complainant as evidence that he had opened the fixed account.

He said that the offences contravened Sections 78 (a), 285, 312, 327 and 363 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Magistrate, Mrs F.O. Ikobayo, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

She ordered that one of the sureties must own a car while the other should have landed property in Lagos. Ikobayo adjourned the case till March 15 for hearing