Fraudster attacks former presidential candidate with ‘official UNILAG email’
Former presidential candidate Tope Fasua has exposed an apparent plot by a suspected fraudster to grab his money illegally.
A certain Balogun, the alleged fraudster (or someone with access to his digital identity), appeared to have used an official University of Lagos (UNILAG) email to set a trap for Fasua.
The email belonged to someone at UNILAG College of Medicine, it appeared. But a tech-savvy commenter pointed out that the fraudster may have used a certain tech tool to make it appear as if the email originated from a UNILAG server.
“Student doing 419,” Fasua complained in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“I went on my personal email and found four emails from GTBank informing me that I had been debited with N102,192.50 for stamp duties.
“I clicked on the email address which was showing ‘GTBANK’ and next to it appeared ‘[email protected]’.
“So, apparently, this is a fraudster.
“Inside the emails are links that if one clicks can mess up one’s life as this thief and his friends are ready to use one’s hard-earned little coins to buy flashy cars and drink to stupor at night clubs
“So, I typed ‘cmul.edu.ng’ and was most disappointed to find out that that stood for COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, UNILAG.
“This MBALOGUN could be a student or a staff there. Most likely a student.
“I am sad that someone with no morals, a thief and a fraudster is likely studying to be a medical doctor. I know that no profession is sacrosanct in Nigeria and indeed only criminals make progress here. Still, it is saddening.
“This is most likely some Nigerian youth, misguided, exuberant for nothing, greedy and reckless, who will be most vociferous in attacking the older ones for ‘spoiling Nigeria’.
“What a shame,” he said.
Tope Fasua, pictured in this story, ran for president in 2019 under the umbrella of Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP).
He believed the email came from a UNILAG server. A certain Wale Olayanju, however, noted that the suspected cyber criminals may have used a tech tool to make it appear so.
“It is like many don’t know what technology can do,” he said.
“There are many apps/tools with which you can compose email that allow you to enter any email address in the ‘From’ box. That fraudsters must have used any of those tools.
“I can assure you that that email is not from cmul.edu.ng mail server. Neither is it from any MBALOGUN, staffer or student of CMUL. If anyone doubts me, give me your email address and I will send you an email that will have your email address in the ‘From’ box.
“The tools was originally developed for massmailing and other legal business/technology means but fraudsters now use them for destructive purposes.
“Now, the source of the email is immaterial to the fraudsters. They may have used it to give the email some level of legitimacy and for you not to be able to trace them What they want is for you to click the link in the body of the email and the mission is accomplished. It is sad.
“That is why we have to be wary of the links we click especially inside emails,” he commented on Fasua’s post.
