By Victor Akaa.
The Nigerian Army has been inundated with complaints about an increasing number of imposters claiming to be the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, on various social media platforms.
According to a statement relayed to Enugu Reporters by the Director Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu said, these imposters have been using the official portrait of the COAS as their profile picture to perpetrate their mischief.
It is imperative to note that this is not the first time imposters have attempted to impersonate the person of the COAS on social media platforms to dupe unsuspecting members of the public.
However, a new trend has been observed, where these imposters fix online/virtual meetings on Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook, and other online platforms, demanding that participants share specific numbers that appear on their screens during such meetings.
The imposters then engage individually with the participants and subsequently defraud them.
The Nigerian Army has identified the following phone numbers as being frequently used by these fraudsters: 09033949238, 09075323836, 09074272745, 08169257155, 08064561495, 08054138812,
09161521558, 09026515718,
09020898622, 08131333263,
09077188584, 08084529752, 08147409236, 09136497898, 09024627712, 07010119398, 09138997224, 09061549129, 08163593764 ,07035272009, 09018150412, 08093524443
and 08088120581
The statement noted that While the Nigerian Army, like other sister services of the Armed Forces, has peculiar ways of communication known to all officers and soldiers, members of the general public are urged to be wary of the danger posed by these imposters.
The public is advised to refrain from engaging in any online meeting organized on social media platforms, especially those using the official portrait of the COAS as the display picture.
Members of the public are encouraged to report any suspicious activity or mobile phone numbers used to fix such online or virtual meetings to the Nigerian Army toll-free call centre number 193 for appropriate follow-up actions.
The Nigerian Army entreats personnel and non-personnel alike to be circumspect in engaging in any social media online, virtual meeting, or call, and to rely on established protocols and procedures while being vigilant against the wiles of scammers.
