Nigerian Army warns of COAS impersonation scam on social media

The Nigerian Army has issued a public warning about scammers impersonating the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, on social media.

In a statement signed by Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, the military cautioned Nigerians to beware of individuals using the COAS’s official portrait as a profile picture to deceive unsuspecting victims.

According to the statement, these fraudsters operate on online platforms such as Zoom, WhatsApp, and Facebook. They lure individuals into virtual meetings and then instruct them to share phone numbers displayed on their screens. These numbers are later exploited for fraudulent activities.

The Army also identified several phone numbers frequently linked to these impersonators:

📞 Fraudulent Numbers:
09033949238, 09075323836, 09074272745, 08169257155, 08064561495
08054138812, 09161521558, 09026515718, 09020898622, 08131333263
09077188584, 08084529752, 08147409236, 09136497898, 09024627712
07010119398, 09138997224, 09061549129, 08163593764, 07035272009
09018150412, 08093524443, 08088120581

Public Advisory

To protect against these scams, the Nigerian Army advises the public to:

🔹 Avoid engaging in online meetings with anyone using the COAS’s official portrait as a profile picture.
🔹 Report suspicious activities or fraudulent phone numbers by calling the Army’s toll-free hotline at 193.
🔹 Follow official communication channels when interacting with the Nigerian Army to prevent falling victim to impersonators.

The Army emphasized the importance of staying vigilant and urged Nigerians to report any suspicious activity immediately.

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