Police in Niger uncover syndicate involved in swapping ATM cards

The Niger State Police Command has successfully apprehended two individuals, Philip Adefemi and Joseph Michael, who were involved in a cunning scheme of swapping ATM cards with unsuspecting victims.

The diligent efforts of the police operatives from A Division in Bida led to the arrest of the suspects when they attempted to swap an ATM card with a victim.

The incident occurred when the victim visited a commercial bank in Bida to withdraw money, but unfortunately, the ATM failed to dispense cash upon inserting his card.

Sensing an opportunity, one of the suspects, who had been closely observing the victim’s attempts, offered to assist him.

Despite their efforts, the ATM still did not dispense any cash.

The suspect returned the victim’s card, seemingly innocent, but had actually swapped it with a different card.

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Unaware of the deceit, the victim left the ATM and later received a debit alert of N400,000.

Realizing that he had fallen victim to a fraudulent act, he promptly reported the incident to the police. Acting swiftly, the police managed to arrest the two suspects, while another individual named Bala managed to escape.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the suspects confessed to not operating in Bida but had made a stopover on their way to Offa in Kwara state for a burial.

The police made a significant breakthrough in the case as they recovered a total of 42 ATM cards from the suspects, including the victim’s card.

Additionally, they also seized a Mercedes-Benz C230 with the registration number Abuja KUJ 44 NT.

The suspects admitted that most of the cards they possessed were expired cards specifically used for swapping.

They revealed that their modus operandi involved closely observing their victims to obtain their passwords, which they would then use after swapping the ATM cards.

The Niger State Police Public Relations Officer stated that the investigation into the activities of the suspects is currently underway in the Division.

This incident serves as a reminder for individuals to remain vigilant while using ATMs and to report any suspicious activities to the authorities promptly.

The police are committed to ensuring the safety and security of the public and will continue to take necessary actions to apprehend those involved in fraudulent activities.