I have stolen millions with ATM cards — suspect

By Emma Una

CALABAR—A 23-year-old graduate of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Ondavey Weize, has revealed how he swapped the Automatic Teller Machine, ATM, cards of several persons with invalid cards and withdrawing large sums of money from their accounts before he was arrested by Police in Calabar.

Weize, who has over 60 ATM cards in his possession, said he came to Calabar, Cross River State capital, two weeks ago from Abuja and had succeeded in swapping the ATM cards of many people and had withdrawn money from their accounts to spend lavishly in hotels and night clubs.

He said of the cards in his possession: “Some of those cards are not valid but many of them are. What I do is to monitor people making withdrawals from ATMs.

Mr. Ondavey Weize.

“I go close to them and pretend to help. I memorise their pin numbers and while the person is counting his money, I swap his ATM card with an invalid one and later use it to make withdrawals from his account.”

Weize was paraded by Cross Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Titilayo Busari.

He said he had used the method to withdraw several millions of naira from people’s accounts and did not think of returning to the school he graduated from since 2013 to collect his certificate.

“I am not keen in collecting my certificate from my school or going for national service because I make enough cash from my business to take care of my needs,” the suspect said.

Weize, who is from Vandeikyia in Benue State, said he was introduced to the business by a friend from Ondo State, who he met in Abuja and that they had been working together until they parted ways.

He said: “We were doing the business together and after some time, we parted ways and have not seen each other for the past three months.”

The suspect, who was arrested in Calabar last weekend while trying to swap his card with that of another person in the premises of a new generation bank in Calabar Road, had in his possession N258,000 cash.

Mr. Titilayo Busari, Cross River State Police Commissioner, who paraded the young man, called on the public to be careful who they ask for assistance while making withdrawals from ATM.

“They should ask the bank staff to help them or come with trusted people from their homes to avoid falling into the wrong hands,” the police commissioner counselled.

He said his command was ready to ensure that criminal activities were reduced to the barest minimum during the Yuletide and called on the public to give the Police information about suspicious characters in their neighbourhood.

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