Emma Okonji
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned the public to guard against falling victim to scammers who are currently circulating fraudulent letter, titled: “Certificate of Site Ownership”, for clearance of “Mast Transmission Antenna”, purported to be issued by the NCC.
The Director Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka, who gave the warning, said the fraudulent letter claimed that the commission had conducted an inspection on a certain site which is for “9-Mobile Telecommunications Company G.P.R.S”. According to Muoka, “The fraudsters also gave conditions that the unsuspecting recipient of the letter would meet to make the certificate valid and effective for use by “10th November 2022”. It is possible that several and variants of the fraudulent letter may have been sent to individuals, and organisations, with the intent to defraud, using the name of the Commission.
“The NCC therefore, wishes to dissociate itself from the import, and content of this letter, or similar ones, which may have been sent out by the faceless individuals. For the avoidance of doubt, the design and format of the forged letterhead, bears no similarity with those of the Commission,” he said.
In a statement, Muoka said: “The department quoted in the fraudulent letter is non-existent at the Commission. The signatory to the letter is also not known to the Commission. The public is hereby advised to note that telecommunications services are offered by companies, which are issued licences by the Commission. The Commission also maintains a register of all telecommunications companies in the country. Suffice it to say, that, the process of initiating, or exchanging correspondence between the Commission, and the licensees, has definite and distinct standard and style. In addition, the Commission has very open and credible channels of communication, through which all information about it, and its activities, including matters relating to correspondence on any subject matter, can be leveraged for verification.
“While the Commission frowns at the nefarious activities of these fraudsters, telecom stakeholders, the Nigerian public, and corporate organizations, are advised to be wary of the wiles of many fraudsters prowling in the streets with all kinds of illegitimate documents, to avoid being victims of their nefarious activities.”
