Its Happened on Thursday, 29 April 2010 01:00
•Arrested by the police
• He has been suspended, says Bishop
ALTHOUGH his primary duty was to be a good shepherd to the flock of Catholic faithful in his church, Rev. Fr. Felix Kunle Afolayan allegedly abandoned the holy responsibility and engaged in visa scam.
And for this, he is telling the police all what he knew after he allegedly fleeced his church members in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, and other unsuspecting members of the public their hard-earned money under the guise of procuring Canadian visas for them.
So far, N36 million has reportedly gone into the pocket of the priest, who allegedly collected N300,000 each from 120 people in various parts of the Fountain of Knowledge.
In a swift reaction to the development, the new Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Felix Ajakaye, said Afolayan had been suspended.
Afolayan, who hails from Igogo-Ekiti, until his suspension last week, was in-charge of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Old Garage, Ado-Ekiti.
According to some of the victims, the Rev. Fr., who floated a youth football club about three years ago in Ilawe-Ekiti, the headquarters of Ekiti South-West Local Government of the state, when he was the priest of a Catholic church in the town, said he used the club as a bait to lure the unsuspecting but adventurous youngsters to part with their money.
A couple, who lamented that they have so far committed a total of N600,000 to the visa “project”, recalled that they fell because Afolayan was well known to the family.
Mr. and Mrs. Yemi Ayeni, who got married a few months ago, said that having known the suspect for the past five years, they had no reason whatsoever to contemplate that he could turn round to defraud them.
Mrs. Ayeni recalled: “Father came to our house sometime in 2009 and said he was going to announce in the church that the Canadian Government has opened its gate for young Nigerians to come and work in that country. He said he was going to start with members of his football club and would extend the opportunity to other members of the public, especially his church members.
“So, he printed a form, which we purchased with N1,000 each. Two weeks after, he sent an SMS round, which read: I’m happy to inform you that your papers have been received in Canada and that your name will be sent to the embassy right away, but you are to pay half of the registration between now and 15th of June.
The organisation said the rest half would be paid over there, but based on past experiences with Nigerians, they changed their mind. The endorser said all you need to pay (in all) is N120, 000 and not $100 again to help us.
But your half is N60,000. I promise you, you are moving to Canada by July by the grace of God. Remember, you are not going to pay for ticket at all. Don’t delay, please...
Her husband, who was more shocked, said: “It is like a dream to me. He kept cooking up lies about why we have been delayed. The failed suicide bomb attempt by Mutallab during last year’s Christmas Day was one excuse Father Afolayan advanced for our not leaving the country early this year because, according to him, there were international travel restrictions across the world and particularly against Nigerians.”
Tony Inijeze, who said he has an HND from the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, about four years ago, recounted how a family friend, who along with his wife also fell to the bait of the priest, introduced him to the travel plan.
“The priest said he was going to get Canadian visas for us without appearing in the embassy in what he termed non-appearance. He charged N300,000 and we started sourcing for the money. As I speak with you, I have sunk N280,000 to the project. He even told us that he had arranged where we will be living when we get to Canada and that there are too many jobs for any of us to stay one day without work,” he said.
He said the Ilawe Police Station was used as the point where they obtained attestation for which he paid N5,000 and another N18,000 for other expenses outside the N300,000 charged by the priest.
“He has my international passport and yellow card with him. He said we were going to leave at the end of this month, but he has since gone into hiding, while his mobile phone has been switched off,” Inijeze said.
Inijeze’s mum, Sena Adebiyi, said the pervading unemployment rate in the country made her to embrace the idea of a Canadian trip.
“There are two of them currently with me. They have both graduated but they have no work, so when a family friend came and when a Rev. Father was at the centre of it all, I decided to give it a trial since they are not doing anything at home,” she said.
Another victim, Mr. Lucas Odeyemi, a panel beater, had to sell off all his machines to raise the money.
According to him, he also mobilised money from family members and friends for the failed trip.
But Ajakaye said the Catholic Church was not aware of Afolayan’s supposed Canadian trip with the victims, adding that the church could not have been a platform to take people out of the country.
“He has been suspended because he failed to obey the directive of the church,” Ajakaye said in a telephone interview.
Meanwhile, when the Nigerian Compass spoke with Afolayan early this month, he confirmed that he collected money from the people with the promise to get them the Canadian visas.
He said he had got an appointment with the Embassy of Canada for this month end, pleading that he be given more time to tidy up the arrangement.
But contacted on Monday, he said the matter had been reported to the police.
Also contacted on phone, spokesman of the State Police Command, Mohammed Jimoh, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said Afolayan is being detained with the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Ado-Ekiti.
“He is telling the police what he knows about the alleged fraud,” he added.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Saturday, 21 November 2009
A very good tip to Avoid Literary Scams
Literary scams are scams specially designed for writers who are relatively new to the print media. Scammers who operate literary scams, dupe their victims by coaxing them to ‘register’ for a fake service or stealing the legal rights through false promises of publishing the articles. Literary scams like most of the scams can be avoided. Some such tips to avoid literary scams are as follows:
1.A genuine literary agent will never ask for an upfront fee or charge.
2.Legitimate publishing houses do not provide services that include refining a article or making amendments to a post.
3.Too good to be true promises and returns even before your work is completed, is a sure red flag.
4.Publishing houses do not advertise regarding their need for a article, over the internet or through a phone call. Spam email of such sort are most probably literary scams in the making.
5.Anyone claiming to publish your work provided you purchase a certain item is more interested in your money rather than your work.
6.The general practice followed by genuine publishing houses or agents is that they pay for your work or at least promise a free copy of the published material containing your article.
New writers and writers who are relatively new to the publishing field should keep in mind that the literary business is like any other and the amount of success is directly proportional to the amount of hard work, persistence and talent involved.
1.A genuine literary agent will never ask for an upfront fee or charge.
2.Legitimate publishing houses do not provide services that include refining a article or making amendments to a post.
3.Too good to be true promises and returns even before your work is completed, is a sure red flag.
4.Publishing houses do not advertise regarding their need for a article, over the internet or through a phone call. Spam email of such sort are most probably literary scams in the making.
5.Anyone claiming to publish your work provided you purchase a certain item is more interested in your money rather than your work.
6.The general practice followed by genuine publishing houses or agents is that they pay for your work or at least promise a free copy of the published material containing your article.
New writers and writers who are relatively new to the publishing field should keep in mind that the literary business is like any other and the amount of success is directly proportional to the amount of hard work, persistence and talent involved.
Fake checks crop up in Craven County
If you sell items using online classifieds, beware, this could happen to you too. Two separate incidents from Craven County should alert you to a particular risk involved while selling online by this means.
These events happened to two sellers at Craig’s List who were almost scammed by fraudsters trying to pay for goods using counterfeit checks. This is one of the most common scam that a seller is exposed to online. But the two individuals on whom the scam was targeted proved to be smarter than their scammers. In fact, they could not have done better.
The more interesting affair of the two relates to a woman (name withheld by local authorities) who was trying to sell items for $200/- at the site. These items were reportedly picked up by a buyer who sent a check for $3,250/- for them. This check was followed by an email explaining that the check was a mistake as it was posted to the wrong person by the buyer’s accountant.
By the email, the fraudster could have been the very embodiment of politeness and virtue. Could you accept the check as payment, the mail continued, and send back the balance as a return check? Furthermore, he apologized for the trouble and even urged her to help herself to a tip of $50/- from the balance for all the hardships.
It is creditable that she still did not fall for the scam. In fact she did not even bother depositing the check. She was able to make out by the looks of the check that it was taken out with the help of a computer printer. She promptly reported the matter to the office of the Coven County Sheriff.
Hats off to both of you for not only NOT falling for these scams but also for going one step further and instantly bringing it to the notice of local authorities. If all net users get as wily, then we will have a happy consequence where the online community could dispense with the services of blogs and forums like ours!!!
These events happened to two sellers at Craig’s List who were almost scammed by fraudsters trying to pay for goods using counterfeit checks. This is one of the most common scam that a seller is exposed to online. But the two individuals on whom the scam was targeted proved to be smarter than their scammers. In fact, they could not have done better.
The more interesting affair of the two relates to a woman (name withheld by local authorities) who was trying to sell items for $200/- at the site. These items were reportedly picked up by a buyer who sent a check for $3,250/- for them. This check was followed by an email explaining that the check was a mistake as it was posted to the wrong person by the buyer’s accountant.
By the email, the fraudster could have been the very embodiment of politeness and virtue. Could you accept the check as payment, the mail continued, and send back the balance as a return check? Furthermore, he apologized for the trouble and even urged her to help herself to a tip of $50/- from the balance for all the hardships.
It is creditable that she still did not fall for the scam. In fact she did not even bother depositing the check. She was able to make out by the looks of the check that it was taken out with the help of a computer printer. She promptly reported the matter to the office of the Coven County Sheriff.
Hats off to both of you for not only NOT falling for these scams but also for going one step further and instantly bringing it to the notice of local authorities. If all net users get as wily, then we will have a happy consequence where the online community could dispense with the services of blogs and forums like ours!!!
One more falls to the Internet Auction Scam!
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Death Threat Email: Did you get one?
Of late, the scam known as the email death threat scam has seen a fresh resurgence. The death threat informs you that somebody known to you wants you dead. That somebody has in fact hired the sender of the email to carry out this wish.
But the sender is prepared to spare your life if you cough up $25,000/-. And he is ready to give you only 24hrs to make up your mind. He promises to carry out the contract as soon as the time is up.
Such a letter is sure to rattle any person who receives it.
You would rack your brain trying to figure out who would want you dead. In today’s world it would not be difficult for anyone to come up with at least one name if they have lived long enough.
Further, the death threat email paints a grim picture. It urges you not to tell anybody about the mail, especially the police. The fraudster behind the letter would say that he had sent men out to check on you after receiving the contract. These men had given him all the details regarding your daily movement. Presently they are keeping a watch on every one of your moves.
Such mails are usually traced to Nigeria. Fraudsters find it a safe place to operate such scams. The country does not have an extradition treaty with US and many other developed countries. This makes it a safe haven for perpetrators of these and other email scams.
The fraudsters send the mail to thousands at a time. It would make their day if even one person responds to the letter and pays up. The best you can do is not to respond and to inform the police about the mail. Apart from providing you with extra cover, though there would be little that even they can do on the matter.
But the sender is prepared to spare your life if you cough up $25,000/-. And he is ready to give you only 24hrs to make up your mind. He promises to carry out the contract as soon as the time is up.
Such a letter is sure to rattle any person who receives it.
You would rack your brain trying to figure out who would want you dead. In today’s world it would not be difficult for anyone to come up with at least one name if they have lived long enough.
Further, the death threat email paints a grim picture. It urges you not to tell anybody about the mail, especially the police. The fraudster behind the letter would say that he had sent men out to check on you after receiving the contract. These men had given him all the details regarding your daily movement. Presently they are keeping a watch on every one of your moves.
Such mails are usually traced to Nigeria. Fraudsters find it a safe place to operate such scams. The country does not have an extradition treaty with US and many other developed countries. This makes it a safe haven for perpetrators of these and other email scams.
The fraudsters send the mail to thousands at a time. It would make their day if even one person responds to the letter and pays up. The best you can do is not to respond and to inform the police about the mail. Apart from providing you with extra cover, though there would be little that even they can do on the matter.
Master Research Inc: The Secret Shopper Scam
Secret shopper scams try to cash in on the popularity of genuine “Mystery Shopper” services. Such help is often availed of by some companies to check on the services provided by their retailers. The checks are done by people who agree to play the part of a dummy customer for a small per-transaction fee. These individuals would try to ascertain the quality of service provided by retailers on specific issues like their handling of fraud checks or credit cards.
But of late, some fraudsters have used general awareness of this concept to pitch a scam. Their victims are mostly people who only vaguely know about such a service in the market. Fraudsters bank on their ignorance and use them to commit a crime. One such scam that was recently uncovered was run by Master Research Inc.
The scams ape legitimate companies and flood the internet or offline media with recruitment ads. Their bait would be a $500 or there-about fee for every transaction that you agree to enact.
It is an open invitation to mires and mires of trouble. The fraudsters send you counterfeit checks and ask you to use them as payment after buying from specific retailer locations. You can buy anything you want. If the transaction falls through, you are asked to keep some part of the original check amount as your commission and to send the balance as a return check to the fraudsters. Ah! Yes, you also get to keep everything you bought at the store!
However this is not how the script usually plays out. After initially being overwhelmed, retailers have now become wary of such frauds and make special arrangements. They would have police presence very near the counter. Chances are, the moment you present the check at the counter, waiting police personnel would be motioned to come hither and handle you!
You are left with an impossible situation of explaining how you came to have the fraudulent check. Circumstantial evidence would damningly accuse you of forgery and fraud. There would be no way of getting at the people behind the ads you responded to. All phone calls and emails are bound to go unanswered. The real criminals would remain untraceable.
On the other hand, in the event that you manage to get past the counters undetected, you are asked to keep a commission from the original amount and send back the rest as a return check. But here you are playing a gamble with loaded dice against you and your luck would run out sooner than later.
Master Research Inc., a company that swindled people by the hundreds with one such scam, was recently exposed in Canada leaving behind victims older but wiser.
But of late, some fraudsters have used general awareness of this concept to pitch a scam. Their victims are mostly people who only vaguely know about such a service in the market. Fraudsters bank on their ignorance and use them to commit a crime. One such scam that was recently uncovered was run by Master Research Inc.
The scams ape legitimate companies and flood the internet or offline media with recruitment ads. Their bait would be a $500 or there-about fee for every transaction that you agree to enact.
It is an open invitation to mires and mires of trouble. The fraudsters send you counterfeit checks and ask you to use them as payment after buying from specific retailer locations. You can buy anything you want. If the transaction falls through, you are asked to keep some part of the original check amount as your commission and to send the balance as a return check to the fraudsters. Ah! Yes, you also get to keep everything you bought at the store!
However this is not how the script usually plays out. After initially being overwhelmed, retailers have now become wary of such frauds and make special arrangements. They would have police presence very near the counter. Chances are, the moment you present the check at the counter, waiting police personnel would be motioned to come hither and handle you!
You are left with an impossible situation of explaining how you came to have the fraudulent check. Circumstantial evidence would damningly accuse you of forgery and fraud. There would be no way of getting at the people behind the ads you responded to. All phone calls and emails are bound to go unanswered. The real criminals would remain untraceable.
On the other hand, in the event that you manage to get past the counters undetected, you are asked to keep a commission from the original amount and send back the rest as a return check. But here you are playing a gamble with loaded dice against you and your luck would run out sooner than later.
Master Research Inc., a company that swindled people by the hundreds with one such scam, was recently exposed in Canada leaving behind victims older but wiser.
Federal Grant Scams-Wiping out Bank Accounts!
Federal Grant scam is a scam wherein unsuspecting citizens receive a phone call informing them that they are amongst the very few who have been selected for a government grant. Scammers and fraudsters operating such federal grant scams or government grant scams assure the ‘prospective receivers’ that the grant is free and does not need to be paid back. At this point many of us would suspect something fishy and would back out, but there are some who do fall for such federal grant scams. Those who have fallen prey to such federal grant scams inform that their bank account information was acquired so as to facilitate the transfer of the ‘government grant’ into their bank accounts. The next thing was pretty much obvious with the bank accounts being wiped out clean by these federal grant scammers.
Saving ourselves from a federal grant scam or any scam for that matter is just a matter of being aware of what the possible outcome of our actions could be. Some tips to keep in mind to avoid such scams are:
- Government or any department of the government does not ‘give-away’ grants. If the caller claims to be representing an agency, be skeptical and know this fact for sure that it may be just another scammer trying to scam you.
- Sharing of personal information should be carefully controlled and under no circumstances should bank information be divulged over the phone or internet, even if the requesting party claims to be a representative of the bank. Contacting your bank personally if you do receive any such call or email will clear out the ambiguity.
- Government agencies never ask for a ‘fee’ or ‘charge’ in order to process a grant that has been allocated to you. Any individual representing a government organization and asking for a ‘fee’ so that the grant may be forwarded to you should be considered as a fake.
A federal grant requiring for an upfront charge does not remain ‘free’. Keeping our bank information safe is our individual responsibility and being aware is something that will provide an extra protection against such scams and fraud.
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