Man in NYSC uniform arrests in Lagos over fake alert

A man dressed in a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) uniform was apprehended at Ikeja Computer Village in Lagos after allegedly trying to pay for an iPhone XR using a fake bank transfer alert.

The incident unfolded when the suspect walked into a phone shop inside the technology market, negotiated a price for an iPhone XR, and asked for bank details to make a transfer. Shortly after, he displayed a generated transaction alert on his phone screen as proof that payment had gone through.

The shop owner after sensing something was off, checked their bank application and noticed that no funds had reflected in the account, which made him confront the man and call over neighboring traders.

In a video recorded by the vendor that circulated on social media, the seller made the suspect demonstrate on camera how the fake alert application generates falsified payment slips. After going through the suspect’s phone, they discovered multiple successful transaction receipts involving different victims, with some records dating back over a year.

Vendors have been advised by cyber security experts never to rely on the SMS alert on any buyer phone screen, but instead wait for a credit notification inside their own banking app, verify bank balances independently, or use dedicated merchant POS terminals before releasing their products.