A visually-impaired widow in Anambra State has been defrauded of over N2 million after a woman, pretending to offer assistance, allegedly stole her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card and withdrew the funds within minutes.
The incident occurred at an ATM point in Nnewi, Nnewi North Local Government Area, over the weekend but was discovered on Tuesday after the widow reported multiple debit alerts to her bank.
How It Happened
According to CCTV footage released by the bank, the suspect, dressed in a red top and black trousers, approached the visually-impaired widow under the guise of helping her operate the ATM. While assisting her, the suspect discreetly swapped the victim’s card with an expired one, which the widow unknowingly left with. Moments later, the suspect was seen using the stolen card at another ATM to withdraw the funds.
Narrating her ordeal, the distressed widow said, “I went to the ATM to withdraw some cash, but I couldn’t operate the machine properly because of my condition. A lady standing nearby offered to help me. She took my card, got my PIN, and swapped it with an expired one. I was unaware of what had happened until I started receiving debit alerts on my phone. Within minutes, she had withdrawn over N2 million from my account.”
Bank and Police Reactions
A bank official, speaking anonymously, confirmed the theft and cautioned customers, especially vulnerable individuals, against revealing their PINs to strangers. “If you encounter difficulties, seek assistance from authorized bank personnel instead of strangers,” he advised.
The Anambra State Police Command has since launched an investigation. The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Aderemi Adeoye, has directed the use of all available intelligence tools to track down the suspect.
“The Command is aware of a trending video showing a lady at an ATM in Nnewi swapping the card of a 58-year-old visually-impaired woman and withdrawing N2 million in parts,” Ikenga stated. He urged residents of Nnewi and neighboring areas to provide any useful information that could help identify and arrest the suspect and any possible accomplices.
Ikenga assured the public that the police would work tirelessly to bring the suspect to justice, emphasizing the need for community support in combating crimes of this nature.
This incident has raised public awareness about the dangers of accepting help from strangers at ATM points and the need for banks to improve measures to protect vulnerable customers.
