Wema Bank is demanding that Abdulazeez, a Lagos-based medical doctor, repay a N583,000 loan fraudulently taken from his account after his smartphone was stolen.
TOP MEDIA reports that Abdulazeez recounted to FIJ how the incident occurred around 7:30 pm on May 28, when his phone was stolen while he was returning home from work.
The thieves used his phone to take out a N550,000 salary advance loan on the same day, followed by a N33,000 payday loan on May 29, without his authorisation.
The stolen funds were transferred to an Opay account between May 28 and May 29, plunging Abdulazeez into debt as the bank now expects repayment.
Abdulazeez described the incident, explaining that he discovered his phone had been stolen when he noticed his bag’s zip was open.
Attempts to call his number initially went through but were later unsuccessful as the phone was switched off.
Upon reaching home, Abdulazeez borrowed a neighbour’s phone to block all his bank accounts linked to the two MTN lines in the stolen phone.
While he successfully blocked his accounts with Jaiz Bank and First Bank, he was unable to reach Wema Bank’s customer care.
Efforts to block his MTN numbers were also thwarted as he failed to provide precise details about the SIM registration dates.
Unable to visit any bank or MTN centre that night, Abdulazeez waited until the next day.
On May 29, he checked his Wema Bank account balance at an ATM, seeing N33,000, which did not raise his suspicion as it aligned with the expected balance.
After retrieving his MTN lines, he attempted to recharge using Wema Bank’s USSD code but found his PIN had been changed.
Checking his email later, Abdulazeez discovered that loans had been taken and transferred to an Opay account.
He reported the incident to Wema Bank on May 30, providing an affidavit and a police report.
Despite his efforts, the bank informed him that he would need a court order, costing at least N100,000, to take further action against the account where the money was transferred.
Wema Bank has since initiated deductions from his account for loan repayment, despite his efforts to resolve the issue.
Ayomide Akanni, a digital support centre agent for the bank, confirmed the ongoing investigation and reassured that they are in direct communication with Abdulazeez.
“We acknowledge receipt of your mail and appreciate your interest in the investigation of the unauthorised transactions on our customer’s account. At Wema Bank, we uphold integrity and do not condone fraudulent activities,” Akanni stated.
“We are currently investigating and advise the customer to contact us directly for further assistance in repatriating the funds and addressing any concerns.”
