CAR Auction: Scammers Create 35 Customs Facebook Accounts

If you have been in contact with some supposed officials of the Nigeria Customs Service who claim to be auctioning impounded vehicles on Facebook, then you are a potential victim of Internet scam.

Investigations by newsmen reveal that some Internet fraudsters have created some 35 Facebook pages on which they offer choice cars to members of the public at ridiculous prices.

Some of the fake Facebook accounts opened in the name of the NCS usually carry the emblem of the service, while others bear the photograph of its Comptroller-General, Dikko Abdullahi. Also, the pictures of different brands of vehicles purported to be up for auction are put on the pages to attract buyers.

On one of the fake pages, the scammer(s) posted pictures of the different sides, interiors as well as bonnets of the vehicles said to be up for auctions.

On the timeline of one of the scam Facebook accounts, a second hand Toyota Sienna mini-bus, which sells for over N1m, is being offered to buyers at N300,000, while a Toyota Camry, which has a market value of about N850,000, was offered for between N200,000 and N250,000.

The accounts give users no indication that they are fake, as scammers operating them have perfected their scheme by asking people to come along with valid documents such as passport, driving licence and passport photographs.

In their various status updates, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and other contact information of supposed officials of the agency are displayed on the pages to give some credibility to this illicit trade.

A message on one of the fake accounts reads, "Your life time opportunity is here again. The NCS is currently giving out impounded vehicles at a cheaper rate, at affordable auction prices. First hand Tokunbo cars, which have never been used in Nigeria.

"These cars were seized as a result of illegal importation into the country. They are readily available in give-away prices. If you are interested in buying a first-hand cars at a very cheaper rate, contact officer Bayomi Sanusi on 07061874***.''

When a search was conducted on the website of the NCS, www.customs.gov.ng, it was observed that there were no links or indications that it was operating any social media accounts.

Punch