Samuel Kallon 
Of recent, several Sierra Leoneans both at home and abroad have suffered serious heartbreaking situation particularly from certain unscrupulous individuals through their criminal activities.
These criminals have devised a new strategy to unleash their havoc through hacking the mobile phone WhatsApp numbers of their victims to extort them.
These scammers, as they are better described, used their victims’ WhatsApp numbers to call the latters’ contacts demanding money from them through cunning means.
They lure their victims by telling them such as, “we have online meetings at different locations with further instruction that they will send a particular code to enter in order to be part of the fake event.” Once such instruction is carried, and then that person’s phone number is immediately hacked thereby blocking the victim from accessing his WhatsApp.
From that point, the criminals will begin to demand money from the unsuspecting people. Their nefarious activities have led to serious embarrassment of their victim, whose innocent contact people sometimes part with their hard earned cash to these heartless criminals. Millions have been swindled through this criminal activity and the ugly situation seems to have continued unabated.
Nobody has been spared-bankers, students, lawmakers, journalists, traders and even unemployed.
A prominent lawmaker and journalists, who have fallen victims, have lampooned mobile phone companies particularly for their failure to tackle the activities of these scammers.
“One of my friends innocently sent Le5000 to a scammer who used my number on WhatsApp,” a dejected driver fumed.
What is more heartrending is that these merciless criminals will use people’s WhatsApp numbers for days sending messages requesting money from their contact people.
Most often, they send Orange Money number such +232 75 76 83 77 with fictitious name like Daniel T Kargbo, to whom the money should be sent.
Latest victims have been reporters of Africa24 Newspaper.
“I cannot access my WhatsApp to date, I have faced several embarrassing situation from these guys. Everyone is calling me to verify the messages the scammers are sending to them,” one of the victims Ragan Conteh angrily narrated.
Many have blamed mobile phone companies and other concerned authorities for their failure to address the worrying situation to stop these criminals from further hoodwinking the unsuspecting population, thus given credence to their suspicion of connivance with the former.
The rampant selling of Sim cards on the streets across the country without verification or proper registration is believed to be one of the main causes of this problem.
It’s against this backdrop and the protection of Sierra Leoneans they are calling on Parliament, NaTCA, mobile companies and the executive arm of government for their swift intervention without further delay.
