This is not something I planned to write about in any way. But for some reasons which I will talk about shortly, I choose to pick interest in this topic. So you should hear me out.
Its being several weeks now that my telecommunications company has disconnected me from making calls with my mobile number. This was because of the issue of one government regulating NIN linking to your sim cards which I still do not see what benefits that has got for us as citizens till date. At least for a country like Nigeria which level of development keeps reducing, there is nothing significant this measures will make in the long run.
NIN means National Identification Number.
The worse and painful part is the fact that I have this so called NIN and I did the linking to all my cards but it will not just connect due to poor network services from NIMC themselves (provider of the national identification number). Meanwhile I have have friends who neither linked this NIN with their cards nor have one yet, their lines are working well and fine. So why is an innocent soul who meets the measures be an exception?
Although I did not keep track of how long it has been but I'm sure it's not less than 7 weeks from now that I've been deactivated. Now while this may not be a big concern for me because I immediately resorted to making calls via the internet whenever I needed to (which is also costing me less the amount I paid for calls offline), the challenge I've got is that not everyone I wanted to call and speak with are readily available online when I needed to call them. So there is a need to find a way to return back to my offline calling which is more easier but less cheap for me.
Its not a big deal really cus I have the money to pay so I woke up this friday morning to head over to GLO office here in town and rectify this issue and
The drama began
Just like a cool gentle guy, I quietly sat to observe the environment of the office while I await my turn to be called upon and attended to. This was how I received 3 same text messages consecutively on my phone. All of them containing a One-Time-Password (OTP) number as if I were trying to pay for some transaction online. I was confused because I didn't even go out with my debit card. I left it behind at home and no one is equally at home.
Before we say Jack Robinson I received a debit alert of N5,000 naira. My money has been stolen. A thief from nowhere was able to access my card details and hacked into my bank account to steal my money. Immediately a shock hit me on my sit. It was like magic.
But the thief was so foolish to steal that amount. Perhaps he was testing his internet theft skills he just acquired from another fool just as himself. Well, whatever he was thinking at the moment was his problem. I was very bothered because the account is no long safe.
Now I was left to think about what to do as the event weakened me but I had to outsmart him because he only stolen a portion of my money and left the rest in the account. So I immediately wiped the remaining money and transfered it to a friend's account as I now feel uncomfortable having money in my personal account.
It didn't end just there
I patiently waited for me to be attended to at the GLO office so I can immediately head to my bank since I'm in town and the bank is nearby to my location so I can get a good explanation of why someone is stealing my money.
The surprising thing was what the customer care official was telling me. Although the stolen money was little and less painful. I know this is Nigeria and that money is gone for good but I needed to know what's going on to avoid future occurrence.
So this is more painful
How can you accuse me of releasing my details onto the hacker who performed this theft. It's so annoying and very disgusting. The information of the theft was showing a POS transaction at ikeja (Lagos state) funding one betting account and I am here in Lafia (Nasarawa State). So how can someone in ikeja possibly get the information of my debit card that is here in Lafia? it's still a question I am unable to answer as I write this letter.
It occured to me immediately that these bank officials were actually trained to address you in a way that you feel guilty and make it be your fault of any unwanted transaction that happens in your account. I could sense this trait the way they all interact with other customers. Meanwhile it is the bank's incompetence in cyber security. Their incompetence in making your account accessible by you alone no matter what happens or how anybody tries to break into it.
As I type this down I remember one of the things I promised myself not to do at the beginning of this year which was never to keep my money in the bank. I probably forgot this. But it's just 3 days I moved money into this bank account, and yet it was stolen so quick. How much more if I've been doing this since the beginning of the year.
Your money is unsafe
I've got more reasons today never to save your money (although I normally do not do this) especially in a bank. And here is why;
- Your money loses its value every single day
- Your money is given out as loans to business men and women who will repay back with interest. The business man makes more money for himself by investing your money. The bank makes more money on interest rate. And you the real owner of the money makes none because you receive nothing from these transactions.
- The bank steals directly from you. If you doubt this keep just a thousand naira in your bank and go back to check your balance after one month.
- A stupid thief from nowhere called hacker will steal your money because its not secured in the bank.
Hive solves this problem
I think there is even much more reason than this. If you have more please share with me in comment section. But this what I think you can start doing;
- If you would ever save your money, save it in a crypto wallet. If you're scared of price fluctuations and your money reducing then keep your money in a stable coin. A good one I recommend is HBD. And so far to me it's the best stable coin out there.
- Start investing your money either in yourself or into a business. Spending money to acquire quality knowledge is something that will help you grow and improve in life. So money spent on knowledge is not a waste.
- Use your money to help people around you in need. You will be more fulfilled if your money is geniuely spent by them and not some foolish thief.
Then I didn't even mention the bank's name. Well, I don't think that is important because that doesn't make one bank better than the other. They all are not different in any way. But I will just say it though. It is Zenith Bank.
And I forgot to add this. The idiot was still trying to break in and steal the remaining funds in the account while I am still inside the bank complaining about the first act. I knew because I was still getting the same OTP text sms from the same source. But unfortunately, he was too late.