Caught in the act: Saturday Punch sting operation nets fake Customs auctioneer

Chigozie Obiekwe and his siblings wanted to make their mother happy after she just lost her husband. They believed that if she was shown affection, she would think less about the loss of their patriarch.

So, they asked her to mention something her children could do for her and she gladly asked for a car as a gift.

Pronto, the children tasked themselves and started raising money. Meanwhile, Chigozie, who is an entrepreneur based in Enugu, took it upon himself to shop for a good car for their mother.

He chose to surf the Internet in search of a good offer. When he stumbled on a website purportedly owned by the Nigeria Customs Service, on which impounded cars ready for sale by auction were displayed.

Obiekwe could hardly believe his luck when he found out that a 2010 Toyota Camry on the website was being offered for N400,000. Ordinarily, such a car costs almost N3m in the open market.

The young man swiftly got in touch with one Mike, who was listed on the website as a Customs officer and the contact for the cars, with a telephone number beside his name.

Obiekwe told Saturday PUNCH, “I came about the website where exotic cars especially Toyota Camry models were displayed. The cars were labelled as those impounded by the Customs Service and put up for auction. I checked and saw contacts of one Mr. Mike of Seme Border Customs Service, as the main man.

“I called Mike who identified himself as a Customs officer and he said the auction would close by January 9. He said I could pay some money into the account of his boss the following day so that the car would be delivered to me in Awka.”

Obiekwe said he did some background checks, in order to avoid falling prey to fraudsters.

“I also checked up one Mr. Ogunmola from among a long list of car dealers doing business with the Customs.  I called a Customs officer at the same Seme border and he confirmed that the auction was indeed ongoing but that he was on leave.

“But he said I could do business with Mike as a genuine Customs officer. Based on this assurance, I paid in N100,000 as deposit into one Alhaji Ali Musa’s bank account in First Bank, as supplied by Mike.”

Obiekwe found the condition of the transaction very liberal and reassuring. Mike told Obiekwe that he could make a part payment after which the car would be delivered to him in Awka on the same day of payment. Then, he could drive the car for a week and pay the balance, if he was satisfied.

“After payment was confirmed by Mike, he supposedly instructed a driver, Mr. Muhammed, to deliver the car to my location in Awka. Apart from the money I paid into the bank account, Mike made me to send recharge cards worth N10,000 to him and Muhammed, the purported driver.

“Then, he cut off contact with me. He refused to pick my calls anymore. After 24 hours had elapsed without the car being delivered to me, I began to fear that I might have been swindled by a Customs officer,” he stated.

Unknown to him, he had just been conned by an organised fraud syndicate.

Checks by Saturday PUNCH revealed that the website in question, http://nigeriacarmart.com/used_car-9327-Toyota_Camry_lx.html, is a cloned form of nigeriacarmart.com that deals in cars and after sales services.

Obiekwe promptly petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, and contacted Saturday PUNCH about the suspected swindle.

Our correspondent then posed as someone seeking an impounded car to buy. Saturday PUNCH contacted Mike and he turned out to be a soft-spoken man who identified himself as a Customs officer in charge of cars impounded by the service.

He first of all enquired whether our correspondent had a voter card or a driver’s license. When told that a driver’s licence was available, he said that was okay.

“I will use it to do your registration but right now, you have to call me back because we are in a meeting concerning the auction,” he said over the telephone.

Before hanging up, he did not fail to ask our correspondent the brand and model of car he wanted. During a subsequent chat, he said our correspondent would be required to pay the sum of N20,000 for the driver who would drive the car from the Abuja office of the Customs Service.

He also said a part payment would be required for the car.

Cars displayed on the website included different types and models of Toyota Camry and the highest cost N400.000 in auction sales. Ordinarily, such cars are sold for millions in the open market.

 Our correspondent requested a 2009 model Camry, with a price tag of N300,000. He also agreed to make a N100,000 part payment, in addition to the N20,000 for the driver.

“The driver will bring the car but apart from paying his fee, you will have to make a part payment for the car. You will get the car if you pay tomorrow early in the morning.

“Then, you can drive it for one week and if you are satisfied, you will then pay the balance.

“I will give you details of my boss’ account when you call me very early tomorrow Tuesday,” he said.

Mike was the first person to call our correspondent the following day. After sending details of the bank account by SMS, he advised our correspondent to pay by 8am so that the driver could start heading to Lagos from Abuja.

Meanwhile, when he asked where our correspondent would like to take delivery of the car, a location on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was suggested as the most convenient spot.

“Pay on time so that our oga (boss) would approve the sale of the car. Then I can tell Muhammed (driver) to start coming from our Abuja office,” he said.

Almost one hour after, Mike called to find out whether the money had been paid into the account he sent. But our correspondent told him that his ATM card was not available for use and that he was caught in traffic.

His calls became hourly and at a point, he informed our correspondent that a lady was putting his boss under pressure to sell the same car to her.

“A lady is ready to pay and have the car but I am telling oga that you will soon pay. So let me know as soon as you pay so that the driver can start coming,” he said in an impatient tone on the telephone.

But each time he called, our correspondent pleaded for more time to raise the cash. At a point, he asked our correspondent to do a bank transfer.

He later sent a text message which read, “What is the situation of things? Alhaji wants to sell the car and give you another one. What do you think since you couldn’t pay today?”

The bank and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission were swiftly tipped off and they proceeded to apprehend the suspected swindler.

The account was promptly frozen on Wednesday and when Musa went to one of the bank’s branches in Minna, Niger State to find out the reason for the action, he was immediately arrested and handed over to the police.

He was eventually transferred to the EFCC and moved to its headquarters in Abuja.

Even up till Monday morning when Obiekwe was speaking with our correspondent, he was miffed that men of the Customs Service could defraud him in the guise of selling a car to him.

But he was devastated when our correspondent told him that those who received the money from him were not Customs officers but suspected con-men.

He said, “I am very devastated to say the least. Right now, I am at a loss because apart from N100,000 that I paid for the car, I lost N10,000 worth of airtime.

“I am also with all necessary evidence to support my case, including recorded telephone conversations between the so-called Customs officers and myself as well as a copy of the webpage where they photographed themselves in Customs uniform advertising the said cars as purportedly authorised by the Federal Government,” he said.

Attempts to reach the Customs Service were not successful as calls made to the telephone line of the NCS Public Relations Officer, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, did not go through.

But a top shot in the service who spoke with our correspondent in confidence said the Customs Service is daily inundated with complaints by individuals who fall victim of the antics of scammers posing as Customs officers.

The source told our correspondent, “I don’t have to tell you that the case you have just narrated is a fraud case. We receive complaints of this nature everyday but we tell people that there is a standard for auctioning vehicles in the service. But I pray people will listen to us and stop falling victim of fraud and robbery.”

Spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujiaren, said the suspect was still in the custody of the agency.

“He is with us and we are currently investigating the matter,” Uwujiaren said.