Umo Eno, the governor of Akwa Ibom has been a victim of fraud as his WhatsApp number was hacked and used to extort his contacts, according to media reports.

On Tuesday, some of the governor’s contacts received messages from his WhatsApp number requesting an amount of money be sent to an account number to be refunded later.

Fraud losses have risen by 496.96 percent over the past five years. Identity fraud has become a global crisis as cybercriminals exploit user identities to compromise enterprises globally, IBM’s 2024 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index has averred.

Ekerete Udoh, his chief press secretary (CPS) however noted in a statement that the WhatsApp phone number of the governor was “cloned” by criminal elements to defraud unsuspecting persons.

“We hereby warn that any message appearing to solicit funds by these imposters should be totally discountenanced by the general public as they do not emanate from the Governor.

A 2023 Online Scams In Africa Report by KnowBe4 reveals that more Nigerians are falling victim to online fraud through social media. The report says that fake investments, cryptocurrencies and NFT scams, brand impersonation, information theft, online shopping scams, and phoney job offers dominate the fraud scene.

Udoh added that the law enforcement officials had already been alerted.

“The law enforcement agents have been duly alerted and are on the trail of the perpetrators of this ignoble act.” (BusinessDay, excluding headline)