Staff Writer
After losing a total of N5.4m to an online investment site that allegedly crashed just as users were about to withdraw their money, some victims have detailed their ordeals.
In separate interviews with PUNCH Metro, three of the victims described how they were reportedly conned out of their money on the promise of making money from the online investment.
Abdulfatai Oluwashina, a victim from Kwara who met with our correspondent on Wednesday, claimed his friend Bilikisu Dada introduced him to the bitcoin mining platform.
He said that the plan cost him N1.8 million and his wife N550,000.
Oluwashina declared, “I began on February 7 and will end on May 20. I lost roughly N1.8 million to the plan.
“I deposited an extra N250,000 inadvertently on May 20 when the site failed. The gain is intended to be realized over time. The day after you invested money, you would begin to reap the benefits. However, because of the way they set it up, if you invest N300,000, you won’t be able to profit up to N80,000 until they add another investment.
They are aware of Nigerians’ gullibility. Most of us are easily duped. If you deposit N300,000 today and make up to N100,000, another machine will be installed so that you cannot withdraw that money. You might even contribute more money or purchase another machine. We were imprisoned by that monstrosity.
“I had about N3 million invested total, but I was able to withdraw some of it; right now, I have about N1.8 million with them. My wife, who also lost N550,00, was referred.
She bemoaned the fact that, as of May 20, the website had been inaccessible and had the phrase “Bank service upgrading” put on it.
He bemoaned, “The system is now crashed and it is no longer opening.”
When introducing Abdulfatai, Bilikisu from Maiduguri, Borno State, remarked, “I was a victim too. That’s how our money was spent. I put in roughly N1.3 million. From November 2022 to April 2023, they began. I am unsure of where to report. They engage in cryptocurrency mining. There were more than 20 victims that I am aware of. Online is how I learned about the platform.
Ojo Oluwaseun, a different casualty who is likewise from Maiduguri, stated, “We were believing it was a legitimate investment. They claimed to have a device that is such as Bitcoin. We obtained their app from the PlayStore. I put up N1.5 million. Many of my friends made larger investments. I gave several recommendations. In March, I began working for them. The first and second times, I was able to withdraw N60,000 and N180,000, respectively.
After the development and their numbers stopped passing through, the anchors left the group.
Our journalist tried calling two of the anchors, Mark and Amanda, but the calls were disconnected.
Our correspondent’s link to the website didn’t load properly.
