By: Alieu Jallow
A young Gambian lady recently fell victim to an online scam.
According to her, she met a person claiming to be Dr. Martinez Harr with whom she regularly chatted on WhatsApp. She described their communication as very cordial and frequent.
“He calls me all the time, both via video call and WhatsApp,” she asserts.
The young lady told our reporter that the man made her believe he was a doctor by sending her pictures of his patients at the hospital, all geared towards building trust and executing his plans.
“He sent me pictures of his patients at the hospital, and in the end, I trusted him so much because of what he showed me. But as they say, don’t even trust your shadow.”
The young lady further explained that one day, Dr. Martinez shared photos of himself in a shopping mall, on a shopping spree, where he promised to buy her materials.
“He showed me everything, and when he returned home, he took pictures of the materials and sent them to me. When I asked him who owned these materials, he told me they were mine, and he asked for my details, which I sent to him.”
The young woman, falling victim to the scammer’s deception, asserts that she received pictures from the purported delivery agent, indicating receipt of her materials. These materials were due to arrive in The Gambia within a given time frame, and she was told she would receive a call from the agency to provide information about payment and pickup.
“One morning, I received a call from the agency, and they told me the package had arrived. They asked me to pay D15,000.00 to get the package, but I told them I didn’t have that amount. We agreed on D3000, and when I sent them that, they said it wasn’t enough. They demanded another payment of D25,000.00 because they claimed the package contained more items. They promised me I would receive the package, so I paid the money at Guaranty Trust Bank.”
She further narrated that upon payment of the D25,000, the fraudsters requested more money. It was only then that she realized she had fallen into the hands of scammers.
In distress and desperate for resolution, the young lady said she understood that she was not the only victim. Many others had also paid into a Guaranty Trust Bank account under the name Lamin Bojang.
“I am a victim, and all I can advise my sisters is to be very careful so that what happened to me does not happen to you. Never trust anyone, and if a stranger texts you, don’t reply; just block them. I’m not even sure if they are not using black magic or juju. It’s crazy,” she shared as a piece of advice.
