A 35-year-old woman named Modupeola Bamisade was arrested by Lagos State Police Command officers on suspicion of defrauding over 100 individuals of more than N500 million through an online gadget fraud scheme.
The suspect allegedly pretended to be an online reseller of Apple items, including iPhones and iPads, which she promoted at steep discounts to draw customers, according to sources within the command on Wednesday.
Bamisade used social media influencers to advertise the alleged sales, offering buyers savings of up to 50%, according to police findings.
According to reports, several 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 suspect operates as an online vendor of Apple products. She uses influencers to advertise large-scale sales with huge discounts, sometimes up to 50 percent,” the source said.
“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.”
According to a second source with knowledge of the inquiry, the suspect was apprehended after one of the influencers filed a complaint after getting numerous complaints from clients who stated they had been duped.
“One of the influencers raised the alarm after buyers kept complaining. That led to a report to the police and her subsequent arrest,” the source revealed.
Several victims allegedly went to the police command to identify the perpetrator after she was arrested. One of them claimed to have paid N1 million for a phone that was never delivered.
“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,” the source added.
