Access Bank has sent yet another message to Tobiloba Adeleke, one of its Lagos-based customers, insisting she repays a N1.25 million loan taken by thieves after her phone was stolen on May 22.
Adeleke made this latest development known to FIJ in a phone interview on Friday.
“I don’t even know what to do anymore on this issue and it is beginning to affect me psychologically,” Adeleke said.
“They sent another WhatsApp message to me last week Friday, January 24, saying I would be reported to the Credit Bureau if I did not clear the N1.25 million debt immediately.
The Message Access Bank Sent to Adeleke
READ ALSO: A Customer Sent N360,000 From One Access Bank to Another in Error. The Bank Won’t Return It Even After a Court Order
“This is the second time I would be receiving a message like this from Access Bank in this month. The first message was sent on January 9.
“They called this new message a final reminder. My heart skipped when I read it. This was a loan I never obtained, a loan taken by people I have never met before in my life. I am simply tired of these messages and I have explained all that transpired to the bank several times but they would not listen to me.”
On August 18, 2024, FIJ published a story on how Adeleke’s phone was stolen by unknown persons in Yaba, Lagos. The incident happened during a heavy rainfall on May 22.
The phone was stolen while the Lagos resident was trying to push through people to locate a safe place that could prevent her from getting soaked by the rain.
READ ALSO: After FIJ’s Story, Access Bank Reverses N198,000 Taken From Customer’s Account While Asleep
While Adeleke was trying to retrieve the 9mobile line in the stolen phone, the thieves had used the gadget to obtain loans through her Access Bank account four times.
When she was eventually able to retrieve the line, she discovered the thieves had used her account to borrow N293,800, N145,600, N239,500 and N214,600 from the bank.
Adeleke subsequently visited Access Bank branches to explain that the loan did not originate from her but the financial institution insisted it had to be repaid.
The funds the fraudsters obtained from Access Bank were transferred to a UBA account 2330360737 belonging to Rofiat Abike Fatai, and a Smartcash payment service account 9073633190 belonging to Oluchukwu Igwe.
READ ALSO: Access Bank Tells Lagos Woman to Repay N1.25m for Loan Taken by Phone Thieves
When FIJ sent an email to Access Bank’s complaint desk at the time, Abayomi Okunola, a bank representative, issued the following response:
“We empathise with you concerning the fraudulent transactions. Please be informed that a complaint has been logged on your behalf and you will receive feedback upon conclusion. The issue has also been escalated to the appropriate team.”
The official did not take his time to review the identity of the sender of the email before issuing a response.
The post Access Bank Insists Woman Must Repay N1.25m Loan Lagos Thieves Took From Account appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.