My Neighborhood Watch #56 - Reporting Events Around us

Happnings in My Neighbourhood

In my neighborhood, the POS business has become an integral part of our daily lives, providing easy access to essential banking services for both urban and rural residents. Some of us have not been to a bank for quite a long time now. These small-scale kiosks offer a versatile range of services, including cash withdrawals, deposits, account balance inquiries and transfers netween accounts, making banking more convenient than ever before.

POS business owners have grown accustomed to navigating the unique challenges that comes with their business. However, this post aims to shed light on a disturbing new trend that has emerged in my neighbourhood, posing a significant threat to their livelihoods and the trust of their customers.

Read on as I unfold the plot.

A gang of notorious '419' scammers, on the other side of the town are disguised as tricycle riders, combing the street on the prowl for their next victims. Once an unsuspecting passenger is picked up, the rubbery starts...

At a POS kiosk

Over here at this other end of the town, a man approches the POS kiosk for a transaction.

" Can you pay up to 200,000k ?"
He asked

Yes and your charge will be 3000

" Give me your account, i will give my sister to pay in to it, then i can withdraw"

The POS kiosk provide the account which the gentlemen sends to his accomplice, instantly an alert buzzes, the money is payed in, its 200,000 Naira, and the transaction is complete when the POS provides the cash and the charge for the service is settled.

Back to the 419 in the tricycle

The young woman who was picked by the tricycle was ordered at gun-point to make a transfer, the account number that was transferd into was the account number of the POS kiosk mentioned above.
It was not his sister, it was one of their victims. The 419 used the POS to clean up the money.

At the Police Station

The robbed lady reported that under duress, she made a transaction to the account of their accomplice, followed up to the bank....
_{Captured with Galaxy-A15}

A week or two days latter, the POS account is blocked and the information comming from the bank brings the two insident together. The POS is now implicated and entangled in a criminal case involving robbery, fraud and deception.

This story exposes the sinister plot of scammers exploiting innocent POS businesses, highlighting the need for vigilance to prevent such crimes in our neighbourhood.

Conclusion
Now that you are informed, you will understand why the POS may decline transactions from an invisible third party. And if you or someone close to you is running a POS kiosk, it is good to get updats on the latest schemes.