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On the 3rd of October, 2019, I got a call from a guy that claimed to belong to a political group I belong also to on WhatsApp.
The caller (The Criminal) sounded very friendly and wanted to talk about the latest discussions in ‘our’ political group. He spoke about the things I am known to be passionate about: country, governance and sacrifice. He had me listening closely. He spoke about the latest posts and happenings in the group. He apparently wanted me to relax .
He invited me to a special presentation that he explained would take place for a select few of ‘respected’ persons later that day . He told me I would receive a code that I would use to access the presentation. I thanked him and was about to get off when he asked me to confirm if I received the code already. I checked and confirmed that I had the code. The code actually came thrice. He told me to confirm it to him. At this point, I became a little suspicious .
Since the code came thrice, I decided to give him the one that came first and not the latest. He told me to check if I got another one. That’s when I MADE A MASSIVE MISTAKE! A MISTAKE THAT WOULD CAUSE ME A LOT OF HEARTACHE AND PUT ME IN A MOST EMBARRASSING & VULNERABLE POSITION. I confirmed the latest code. As soon as I did, all hell went loose and the following happened:
- The hacker had taken over my profile with his own number.
- I got ‘Removed’ from all the groups I belonged to (More than 25 groups).
- He became Admin in all the groups I was admin and started removing all alternate admins so he could have full control.
- He changed the setting in some of the groups so only him could post in the groups .
- The groups that I had not created and which still had alternate admins were the only ones that had a chance to take him out quickly .
THE SCAM POST : THE PROFILING OF VICTIM LAI LABODE
The Criminal has taken over the Profile of a Lai Labode with a new number. As far as he was concerned, he had found the crucial elements needed to carry out the scam ;
- A Respectable Profile
- A Good looking & Well Dresses Man (lol)
- A Confident Personality
- A Man With A Voice
- A Man with a Large following
- A Rich or at least ‘Rich-Looking’ guy.
- A Man Seen as ever Happy & ‘Enjoying’
He needed a man to give ‘Reason to Believe’ to the many greedy Nigerians who are looking for a quick way out. He knew very well that ‘THE GREEDY IS ALWAYS THE PREY.’ .
He offered to double any investment made within 45 minutes, he screened-shot an account he had created as proof of viability . He had my name embedded into a fake Bank Alert’ 😢😢😢.
He was downright merciless! He was ready to destroy whatever reputation Lai Labode had built over the years. Nothing else mattered , he just wanted some quick money at any cost to anyone . He cast his net wide. He posted far and wide to my contacts , he was spinning out new groups and pushing vigorously, he wanted to catch as many preys as possible before he got busted .
THE SHOW OF LOVE BY GOOD FRIENDS
Words are not enough to appreciate the many of you who stood strong and firmly to protect my name and integrity. Many of you made me realize how truly blessed I have been over the years .
I was very much humbled by the number of friends and associates (even very distant ones) who were instantaneously on guard as the posts started to come in.
My friend fought back with vigor; “Lai would never post a thing like this” , “Lai is too smart for this” , “Lai wouldn’t speak this kind of bad English, please.” “Lai need not introduce himself like this, Oh , Lai has been hacked”, “Bastard, you are not Lai” , “Oh, some people want to destroy Lai”. “You shall die in Jesus name”! A very old friend e-screamed in one of the groups.
My phone started to ring off its hooks. There were different levels of confusion – some were wondering if I had been kidnapped. Some were wondering if my phone had been stolen. Others were worried they couldn’t respond quickly enough so those who didn’t know me would know it was a scam . The hacker has shut them out in many groups and no one but the new admin could comment .
Many other friends started to act, they started to remove the criminal where possible. Many continued to attack him until he exited some of the groups . In other groups, people started leaving since they couldn’t remove him. It was a real battle for my name and reputation for my good friends, the real good friends who knew how important this would be to me , my business and my family. I am eternally grateful to too many of you. I can’t even begin to mention names . The calls were coming in from across the world. The concerns humbled me. I am in your debt and I am deeply grateful 🙏🙏🙏.
THE JEALOUS & ENVIOUS HAD A ROLETOO
While many of my good friends were busy fighting to save my name and standing, some were very ‘busy’ sending messages to others to spread the ‘good news’. “Have you heard that Lai has started a new business”? 😁 “lmagine some idiots in our group are busy fighting that it’s not him.” “The guy thinks he is a genius”, “Lai don abandon im business for one new Scam o.” “They don Finish Lai o” “Make we see how e go explain this one”. It was so heartbreaking to see some people ‘rejoice’ over the hacking. It was rather clear that, we as humans may never know the full extent of the jealousy that people around us carry in their hearts even as they smile daily with us. Many people are really afraid of your success and can’t wait to see you go down. There are too many UGLY souls around.
“A friendly enemy is an angel of death.” Lai Labode
THE LESSONS: AWARENESS & CAUTION
“The Digital age is also the age of many ironies, compromises and consequences.” Lai Labode, May 12 , 2015
While many of us have embraced technology wholeheartedly, many of us are yet to fully comprehend its power to destroy. The Digital age with all its amazement and promises also carries in its pouch an unimaginable amount of potential compromises that is capable of destroying the fruits of its brilliance.
The Digital age and its elements blurs the lines that separates many traditional truths from lies. It creatively blurs the ordinarily stark lines between immorality and virtue. The digital age is also the age where great reputations built over the ages fall to the ground by a few tweets. An age where the ordinarily ‘weak’ becomes a cyber bully, an age where the most muscular of men is a cyber kitten.
While one cannot be too careful in life , there are surely ways to minimize our susceptibility to the dangers of our cyber world ;
- Digital Content Sharing : Exercise Caution especially when Sharing ‘enjoyment’ content on social media.
- Digital Paranoia is recommended at all times. Prevention is truly better than cure. Take all security advice seriously, you are always a moment away from digital attack .
- Membership of WhatsApp Groups make you digitally vulnerable. Never accept an invitation to any group you have not verified its objective and screened its membership.
While all has calmed down, I am still cleaning up the mess caused by the hack. I am thankful to God for the capacity to turn an otherwise bad situation to an opportunity. Such is the blessing of the almighty .
May the good God bless all my wonderful friends across the world. I am eternally grateful to you all. 🙏🙏🙏
Lai Labode
Lagos, Nigeria
5th October, 2019
