Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Senator George Akume has said that certain criminal syndicates have cloned his voice in an attempt to swindle high profile individuals with promises of federal government appointments.
He recently distanced himself from the scammers, and Nigerians have been reacting.
Speaking via a press statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, Akume said that the criminals have also “cloned the phone numbers of high-profile individuals to solicit funds from unsuspecting members of the public.”
According to him, Nigerians should be wary of anyone using his voice to reach out and tell them that they have been pencilled down for public appointments.
He stated that the scammers will end up demanding payment of money to facilitate such fake appointments.
“From information available to the office, the fraudsters cloned the voice of the SGF, using it to solicit money in return for federal appointments.
The warning becomes necessary as the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has been inundated with enquiries relating to the activities of these fraudulent individuals and groups,” Yomi wrote.
He further noted that the fraudsters even go as far as attaching bank account details to messages sent to the potential victims for funds deposit ranging from N5m to N15m.
Akume concluded by saying that they also ask unsuspecting citizens to send their curriculum vitae to cloned emails.
“Senator Akume emphasized that the appointment processes for Nigerians into boards and parastatals are transparent and verifiable, urging individuals not to pay any money in expectation of securing a position.
Some of the account details of the scammers made available to the office are domiciled in but not limited to both new generation banks and the popular fintech mobile money operating companies in the country.
While the relevant security agencies have been briefed on the matter, the Office of the SGF strongly advises Nigerians to report the activities of these fraudulent people to the authorities while taking all precautionary steps necessary to avoid being victims of the scammers,” it added.
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