DSP Bright Edafe, Police Public Relations Officer in Delta State, has revealed how Nigerians can block criminal elements from accessing their bank accounts when their mobile phones are stolen.
In a security tips posted on his official X handle on Thursday, the Delta PPRO urged Nigerians to lock their SIM cards with a pin.
According to DSP Bright, criminals gain access to their victim’s bank accounts because the account is linked to their phone numbers.
He said when the SIM pin is activated, it would be difficult for the assailants to gain access to the accounts of their victims.
He said, “When you lose your phone and before you know it, your bank account has been emptied, the criminals didn’t have access to your bank account because they have your phone or mobile banking app, they did because they have your SMS alert sim card.
“Now that’s the reason why you must activate a sim pin on your sim cards.
“It’s not an option, it’s a must, so if you have not done that, do it now. This is a very important security advice”.
It was reported that residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja have lost huge amounts of money due to the activities of the ‘one chance’ criminals, who snatch phones and wipe away money from their victim’s bank accounts.
Recall that the FCT Police Command had in August 2023, paraded one Nuhu Zaria and his girlfriend Bunmi Samuel for allegedly snatching mobile phones and stealing money from unsuspecting residents of the city.
The command explained that Nuhu, after snatching phones, removes the SIM Card and sells it out while the girlfriend uses the SIM Card to defraud victims of their money using bank USSD codes.
