The unusualness of the structure of this headline should tell the reader I have something unusual to say. My age, education and exposure had persuaded me that I could handle all types of scammers until that other day. An announcement running on my Old Boys Association’s social media platform said a Mufti Ismail Ibn Musa Menk was giving out N100,000 to each Nigerian as a Ramadan gift “in the spirit” of the Muslim fast. The meme reads thus: “In observance of the blessed month of Ramadan, Mufti Ismail Ibn Musa Menk is extending N100,000 cash support to each Nigerians as part of his ongoing charitable and humanitarian efforts, in the spirit of compassion, generosity and service to the Ummah.” A link was supplied which required you to provide your account number and the name of the bank.
At first, I was ill at ease. Could this be the work of some scammers? I had been warned time without number that internet fraudsters were out in the open like “roaring lions looking for whom to devour.” But my unease was erased by the genuiness of the platform that published the information. Ramadan is a religious activity, who would dare discredit it in such a brazen manner? What more, every second a name would flash of someone who had received their N100,000. I discounted the few errors in the advert and took a plunge. I hit the link and quickly supplied my bank account number and the name of the bank. I received an ok and was asked to share the information with 15 other people. I did but was immediately told something had gone. I got tired and switched off my system. Much later, I reopened it. Going back to the Old Boys platform only to be told that the Menk Ramadan bonanza was “SCAM.” Minutes later, I was out of my house, on my way to a POS to take out what money was left in my account. Thank God, I was ahead of the scammers. But what to do about the 15 other persons, including three of my children, that I had misled? I didn’t, couldn’t tell them not to act on the Menk thing. Too flustered to do it. Or was it out of sh…! But one of them, a former workmate at New Nigerian, WhatsApped me this: “Haba, Malam Tawey, have gotten yours, send me some cash.”
I must tell you, as I was writing this piece, I was still in this long robe of shame. Like Macbeth who, after murdering King Duncan, couldn’t wash his hands clean of blood, I couldn’t simply take off that cloak. It just stuck to my body. My advice: You can’t be too educated or too intelligent not to be conned. The bad guys have no scruples. Even God isn’t too high up there not to be brought down to earth by them. So watch and pray, as the Bible says.
