For some months now, unknown bank officers in GTBank Plc., Ijebu Ode Branch, have been conniving with fraudsters to defraud Point of Sale (POS) Operators in Ijebu-ode. The mode of operation is that a fraudster or person of questionable character will go to any POS centre in Ijebu ode to make a transfer in exchange for cash, usually up to ₦200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) or ₦250,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira); and leave the POS centre after the transaction is successful.
Following the transaction, an unknown bank officer will, without any investigation, reverse the transfer ostensibly on the basis that the customer claimed that he or she did not authorise the transaction. The implication of this is that the fraudster will retain the money that he transferred in his account and also walk away with the money paid to him by the POS operator.
This unorthodox practice of defrauding POS operators who are trying to make a living of their hard-earned funds has caused POS operators to believe that the fraud is an inside job by bank officers and there is in fact a sharing formula between the bank officers and fraudsters. It is thus rather surprising and disheartening that bank officers who are meant to protect unsuspecting customers from being defrauded are the ones that now connive with fraudsters to defraud business operators of their hard-earned money.
Many letters and meetings have been held with the management staff of GTBank Plc., Ijebu ode Branch, particularly the bank manager, to complain about the unorthodox practice and demand a refund. However, in spite of several complaints and letters written by aggrieved POS Operators, nothing has been done to investigate the matter and dissuade the fraudsters and bank officers from their unscrupulous actions. We therefore enjoin the Central Bank of Nigeria and top echelon of the GTBank Plc. to please investigate the matter and prevent questionable bank officers from running POS operators in Ijebu ode out of business.
