How a ‘good Samaritan’ defrauded me – 21-year-old blind lady

 

A 21-year-old blind student of Special School for Exceptional Children, Aliade, Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State, Dorcas Mseen, has narrated how she was defrauded by a supposedly good Samaritan operator in Gboko area of the state.

Mseen said she went to withdraw money from an ATM at Union Bank in Gboko with the aid of her younger sister but was defrauded by someone who disguised as a ‘good Samaritan’.

Speaking to journalists in Makurdi, Mseen said she lost her father and mother in 2008 and 2013 respectively and had been engaging in farming to fend for herself.

The orphan said her quest for education made her proceed to a special school for exceptional children after she lost her sight eight years ago.

She said, “I left my village in Ushongo and passing through Gboko to withdraw some money and was with my sister.

“On getting to the Union Bank branch in Gboko and my sister slotted the ATM card into the machine but it was not dispensing.

“Later someone came to collect the ATM card from my sister and pretended to be helping me but later said that the machine was not dispensing money and returned the ATM card and left.

“Unknown to us he had swapped the card, a few minutes after, I started receiving alerts on my phone.

“I had N143,500.00 in my account. The alert I received showed that he withdrew from my account twice. Altogether, he withdrew N143.000.00.

“I am in SS3 and I find it difficult to resume academic activities.

“I am calling on Nigerians to come to my aid to enable me to pay school fees and at the same time register for WAEC, NECO and JAMB.”

She said her three siblings, all female, are married and are living with their husbands, leaving her in the care of a guide; a younger girl whose educational responsibilities are borne by her.

A humanitarian lawyer, Antaav Kume, who displayed the statement of account of the blind girl said that the matter had not been reported to the police.

“The time I came to know about it is when she had a problem with registration.

“My problem is to register her first because WAEC and NECO registrations will soon be over.

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“We are interested in getting her registered first before we look at the criminal angle.”