A 35-year-old woman named Modupeola Bamisade was taken into custody by Lagos State Police Command operatives on suspicion of defrauding over 100 individuals out of more than N500 million via an online device fraud scheme.
The suspect allegedly pretended to be an online retailer of Apple products, such as iPhones and iPads, which she advertised at steep discounts to draw customers, according to command sources on Wednesday. Police investigations reveal that she used social media influencers to advertise the alleged sales, promising customers up to 50% off.
According to reports available to BrandSpur news platform, many of the victims paid for the devices but never got them. According to a police source, the suspect routinely made up reasons to postpone deliveries and, in certain situations, avoided carrying out the commands altogether.
The source had this to say: “The suspect operates as an online vendor of Apple products. She uses influencers to advertise large-scale sales with huge discounts, sometimes up to 50 per cent.
“She has allegedly carried out this scheme for some time and is believed to have defrauded over 100 victims of more than N500 million. During interrogation, she admitted using influencers to reach potential buyers,” the source added.
According to a second source with knowledge of the investigation, the suspect was apprehended after one of the influencers filed a complaint after receiving numerous complaints from clients who said they had been duped.
The source stated: “One of the influencers raised the alarm after buyers kept complaining. That led to a report to the police and her subsequent arrest.”
Several victims allegedly went to the police command to identify the suspect after she was arrested. According to one of them, she paid N1 million for a phone that never arrived.
One of the sources went on to say: “She was told the phone had arrived and would be delivered shortly, but the suspect kept changing her story. At some point, someone even called her pretending to be a dispatch rider, yet no delivery was made.”
