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The leader of a counterfeit currency syndicate operating in Ondo State, Temidayo Olagundoye, confessed on Wednesday that 16 victims have been scammed by his gang with fake dollar notes.
Olagundoye, 53, who narrated how his gang swindles unsuspecting passengers through the one-chance taxi operation, disclosed that the charm used on victims during the criminal act was fake.
While being paraded along with other suspects at the headquarters of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, the suspect disclosed that he decided to engage in the act after he was duped by fraudsters in Abuja.
“I have been involved in one-chance operations and defrauding people for over three years. Our route is along the Ondo/Akure/Osogbo/Ife highway.
“After some unsuspecting passengers might have boarded our vehicles, I will ask one of my gang members what is inside the bag with him, and he will respond that it is dollars with a charm on it.
“We do get the fake dollars from Lagos. About 16 people have fallen into our trick, with N260,000 being our highest catch. The charm we put on the fake dollar is not real; it was just to deceive our victims.
“I used to be an electrician, but I was duped in Abuja. After I was duped, I decided to also dupe people.”
While narrating how the suspected one-chance taxi operators were apprehended, the Commander of Amotekun Corps in the State, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, said, “We were able to put some of our men in one of the vehicles, and as we talk today, out of the ten vehicles they use, we were able to retrieve three, and the kingpin of the criminal activities has been arrested and is here on parade.
“They have an herbalist who deceives them by telling customers of theirs that they can produce dollars for them, but you can see that they are counterfeit dollars. So, they collected naira from them in exchange for counterfeit dollars.
“We were able to break their cartel, and you can see the pots and charms they use in hypnotising their customers.
“So, all they need to tell the victims is to go home and bring all their valuables for these counterfeit dollars.”
