Airtel Nigeria, a telecommunication company is presently enmeshed in a fraud controversy, as one of its customer care representatives, Jeremiah Mustapha, was recently sentenced to a five years’ imprisonment for facilitating a N2.2 million fraud.
Unmask NG learnt that Mustapha conspired with one Nurudeen Salimu, a fraudster, to dupe one of Airtel Nigeria subscribers, Kazeem Dele, through the use of his phone number, 08023843032.
Mustapha, according to a prosecutor, Cyriacus Osuji, unlawfully disconnected all network services linked to the number without the consent of the owner.
“The number swap aided the second defendant to steal the sum of N2.2m from the Skye Bank account of the complainant. The second defendant forged the signature of the complainant, falsely represented himself as the owner of the account, and withdrew the said sum from the account,” the prosecutor was quoted as saying.
Why this matter
With this development, Unmask NG understands that Nigeria’s telco system’s vulnerability to fraud has once again been highlighted in a focal point of debate. Telco employees play a key role as far as customer experience is concerned. They are a group that directly interacts with customers about their service disputes, amongst others. It is in this light that one needs to take into cognisance that telco employees set the stage for higher business performance.
In its effects, fraud reduces organisational assets and increases its liabilities. With regards to telco industry, it may bring crises to the company, impede the growing status of the company, and ultimately lead to the company’s failure.
