Good day, everyone.
I remember back then when we were kids in school, we always used to write letters to each other, and it was so much fun. But right now, I can't really remember the last time I was handed a note until last Sunday, when I just come back from church.
That day, I was the only person who went to church in my house. My dad and my brothers all went to a programme. When I got back home, I was the only one at home. I opened the door and went in. While I was scrolling through my phone and checking one or two things, I decided to go and get a glass of water.
Just then, I saw a note, a piece of paper, on top of the table. It was placed as if it was meant for someone to see it. It was left wide open, and it was very obvious. So, I went closer and looked at it. It was already opened, and it was a note from my brother.
He told me that I should take his power bank and charge it. He couldn't call me because his phone was down.
During that period, we were experiencing a power outage all over our area. Yes, the transformer in our area had burnt, and we hadn't had electricity for weeks. So, our only means of charging our phones was to take them to a charging centre where you pay money.
He told me that I should take his power bank to the charging centre and charge it for him.
When I saw the note, I just laughed, and I remembered those days when we used to write things like that to each other. You know, it was just funny.
So, I took the power bank to the charging centre and charged it. If it hadn't been for that note, I wouldn't have known what he was trying to tell me. There was no other way because he couldn't call me. So, the note was the only option.
Immediately when he came back from the programme, the first thing he asked me was whether I had seen the note. At first, I pretended as if I hadn't seen anything. I asked him, "What note?" And he was very, very... You could see the look on his face. Then I told him that, yes, I had seen it and had already taken the power bank to charge it for him.
And that was when he was scammed.
At the charging centre, whenever someone takes their phone for charging, they are given a small card. On that card, you will see the name of the charging centre and your number. So, you hand over your phone, and they give you that card. When you come back to collect your phone, you have to present the card before they give it back to you.
If you happen to lose your card, getting your phone back will be very difficult. There will have to be a thorough investigation and confirmation, as well as an extra payment. So, one must guard their card as if it were their phone because no card means no phone.
My brother had a very big power bank. So, it literally takes a whole day for the power bank to charge fully. And when it is fully charged, it doesn't run down easily.
In the evening, I went and collected the power bank. Now, because your card is your only ticket and means of accessing your phone, if you misplace it and someone picks it up, that person could actually go there, present the card, and have your phone handed over to them.
I went and collected the power bank and brought it back home, and we all charged our phones using it.
I myself have worked in a charging centre before, so I know how these things work, and I know how stressful it can be to handle a lot of people's phones. It is very risky.
There was something that happened when I was handling a shop. It was the shop of a friend of mine. Something came up in his village, so he had to travel. But before he left, he asked me to stay in his shop until he came back.
So, I was there, and everything was going fine until one day when a phone was stolen.
It appeared that this guy brought his phone for charging, and then I gave him a number. So, the guy left, and later, someone came with a number and collected the phone. Someone brought the number and collected the phone.
Because I was handling a lot of people's phones, I couldn't know their faces. All I was concerned with was the number.
It appeared that the other person had been careless with his number, and someone took it. That person knew which shop the number belonged to, so he came and claimed the phone. I gave it to him.
Later, when the actual owner came, he told me he wanted to collect his phone. I asked him, "Where is your number?" He said he had misplaced it.
I checked for his phone, but it wasn't there. I checked again, but his phone was still not there. His number was missing, and his phone was missing.
He told me that he had misplaced the number, but he could still remember it. The number was 67.
Then I began searching through my cards, and there it was, his number. It was right there.
I told him that someone must have taken his number and used it to access and claim his phone.
It was not really a funny situation. The fault was not mine, but he had lost his phone.
So, I called my friend and talked to him about what had happened. And because it happened in my friend's shop while I was handling things there, I had to support the man with some money.