Unknown Entity Took N246,000 Loan on Lagos Corps Member’s Missing Phone. Access Bank Confirmed Fraud but Offered No Help
Gloria Feyintade Afolayan, a corps member and resident of Lagos State, says Access Bank has failed to stop or recover a N246,000 loan obtained by a suspected scammer who used her lost phone to access her account.
Afolayan told FIJ on Monday that she lost her Infinix phone on November 10, 2023. The following day, a unknown individual used the phone to obtain a loan of N246,000 without her knowledge or consent.
The corps member said she only became aware of the transaction when Access Bank debited N110,526 from her account in December 2023.
“I lost my phone on November 10, 2023, which had no Access Bank Mobile App installed on it. Sadly, the fraudsters successfully used the lost phone the following day, November 11, 2023, to take a loan which I know nothing about,” said Afolayan.
She had also obtained an affidavit and police report to document the loss of the phone.
ACCESS BANK DEBITED N110,526 FOR LOAN SHE DID NOT TAKE
Afolayan said she first discovered the unauthorised transaction in December 2023 and immediately reported it to Access Bank. She said an official at the bank initially told her that the debit was for the repayment of a N160,000 loan.
“It came to me as a rude shock on December 23, 2023, when I received an unauthorised debit of N110,526. I didn’t initiate any transaction at all,” she said.
“Immediately after I received the debit alert, I rushed down to one of the nearest branches of Access Bank on December 24, 2023, at Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
“When I got there, one of the bank’s officials who attended to me said the deduction was for repayment of a loan of N160,000, which I promptly responded that I neither initiated nor applied for any loan application.
“I would later find out that a suspected scammer had used my Infinix phone I lost the day before to take a loan of N246,000.
“N160,000 was what the customer care representative told me initially, but I later found out that the money was more than N246,000. I got the NIP details of this fraudulent transaction from a branch of Access Bank at Babcock University in Ogun State.”
According to Afolayan, the transaction occurred just one day after she lost her phone, which she said did not have the Access Bank mobile application installed on it.
BANK CONFIRMED FRAUD BUT ASKED HER TO RECOVER THE MONEY HERSELF
Afolayan said her investigation into the transaction showed that the loan proceeds had been transferred to a PalmPay account belonging to one Emmanuel Ekwe. She said Access Bank confirmed the transfer and acknowledged that the transaction was fraudulent, but did not assist her in recovering the money.
“What’s particularly concerning and painful to me is the fact that Access Bank knew it was a fraudulent transaction and the bank still failed to help me either stop it or recover the money,” she told FIJ.
“After taking the loan on my Access Bank account, it was transferred into the PalmPay account (8140189013) of one Emmanuel Ekwe.
“Access Bank confirmed this, but only asked me to go and sort it out myself without helping me. The bank itself confirmed it to be a fraud case, and then refused to do anything to help me. So, how am I supposed to sort it out myself?”
Afolayan said she subsequently visited several Access Bank branches in an attempt to resolve the matter, but the loan remained attached to her account.
“Despite my several visits to Access Bank’s local branches, this issue remains unresolved for almost three years,” she added.
“My lawyers have written to Access Bank over this matter, but as I am talking to you, there is absolutely no possibility of resolution in sight.”
NEARLY THREE YEARS LATER, AFOLAYAN STILL OWES N191,000 SHE DIDN’T BORROW
Afolayan said the bank’s continued treatment of the loan as her liability has caused the outstanding amount to increase through interest, despite her repeated insistence that she never applied for the loan.
“Despite visiting the bank on several occasions and serving a court order to the bank, nearly three years later, I still owe the bank. After the bank debited N110,526, I am supposed to still owe the bank N135,474. However, due to interest accruing on the existing loan amount, the remaining amount has now increased to N191,000,” she said.
“My name at the time I got the debit was Gloria Ogunbekun Feyintade, but now is Gloria Feyintade Afolayan. Three years down the line, I have yet to receive a refund for my money, even after I have repeatedly explained that I didn’t take any loan.”
On Tuesday, FIJ emailed Access Bank for comments on the matter.
In its automated response, the bank stated: “Thank you for contacting Access Bank. This is to confirm receipt of your email. One of our representatives will provide you with an update within 24 to 72 hours.”