Woman defrauds bank customers with fake prophecies

Some unsuspecting individuals and bank customers have fallen victims to an alleged fraudulent woman’s fake-prophecy tricks.

The middle-aged woman, Biola Simon, who has now been nabbed by the police, reportedly belonged to a 4-man syndicate that went about swindling their victims through fake prophecies.

According to PUNCH, Simon, from Ibadan, Oyo State, met her waterloo on Thursday at the Dopemu area of Lagos State, after one of her victims reported her to the police.

Reportedly, the gang’s approach is quite simple; to lurk around bank premises, approach a bank customer suspected to be with money, pretend that she (Simon) was new in Lagos and ask for direction from the victim, make shocking spiritual revelations about her victim, then advise that a special prayer must be offered for the victim.

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“The next move was to take the victim to a nearby place where the three other accomplices were waiting and they would replace the money withdrawn by the victim with disposable papers, covered with a few naira notes,” according to a police source.

As cheap as that appears, the gang’s method is however believed to also be aided by the use of magical powers.

A witness, Rafiu Jimoh corroborated the police report that Simon “dressed responsibly, but she usually begged targeted customers coming out of the bank to direct her to an address. She is believed to use magical powers, as she will thereafter start giving revelations about her victim, luring the person to go for prayers with her.

“While the purported prayer is going on by the syndicate, the contents of the victim’s bag or purse will be replaced with papers covered with a few real notes. They will thereafter disappear with the money,” he said.

Upon accosting Simon, her other three accomplices reportedly escaped in a car. The victim’s stolen sum of N150,000 was recovered by the police and handed back to him.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, confirmed Simon’s arrest, saying that the “state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, has directed that the suspect be charged to court.”