The Nigerian Army has raised fresh concerns over the activities of fraudsters impersonating senior military officers on social media to scam unsuspecting Nigerians.
In a statement released on Sunday, the army warned the public against engaging with fake Facebook accounts created in the names of top military officials.
The military authorities said the fraudulent accounts were being used to deceive people through false promises, unofficial discussions and financial requests.
According to the statement, the fake accounts were created in the name of the Deputy Chief of Standards and Evaluation (Army), Major General Raymond Utsaha, while displaying the photograph of the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Bamidele Alabi.
The army said the accounts were deliberately designed to mislead members of the public and create the impression that they belonged to serving senior officers of the Nigerian Army.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to categorically state that the said Facebook accounts are fake and were created with malicious intent to defraud individuals through false representations and unauthorised online engagements,” the statement said.
Military authorities urged Nigerians to ignore any message, friend request or financial demand linked to the accounts.
The army stressed that its senior officers do not carry out official transactions or sensitive communications through personal social media platforms.
It also clarified that military officers do not award contracts, seek financial assistance or discuss official matters through unofficial online channels.
The statement further called on members of the public to remain alert and report suspicious online activities to security agencies for proper investigation.
The army added that efforts were ongoing to identify and track down those behind the impersonation and other related cyber fraud activities.
