Exactly two weeks ago, at midnight on Tuesday, I was woken up by a call on my phone. I saw the phone ringing, and it was an unknown number. The time was 2:11 a.m. Immediately, fear gripped me, and a lot of thoughts ran through my mind, with the major concern being that either my family back home or someone I knew in the city where I live might be in danger. Fear wouldn't allow me to pick up the call. I wanted to wait for a second call and also use the opportunity to check through some basic means to see if I could identify the person calling because the number wasn't saved on my contact list.
The call ended, and I quickly checked the number on OPay, but it didn't show an OPay name. Instead, a name from another bank appeared, and it was completely unfamiliar. I checked WhatsApp, but the number wasn't registered on the platform.
After a few minutes of breathing in and out, I dialled the number, and immediately, a man answered, his voice shaky and full of tears.
"Mr Kingsley, Mr Kingsley, they've just robbed us and injured my wife. My wife is currently in the hospital, and they've transferred the money in our Moniepoint POS account."
Aaaaaah! I couldn't believe what I had just heard, and for some seconds, my mind was put at rest because it was obvious that none of my family members were in danger, especially considering how the person called me "Mr." If it had been any of my family members or people around me, they would have spoken to me in a familiar manner.
"Please, who is this? I don't know you, and your voice isn't familiar at all," I asked.
"It's me, Emma. Emma na, your neighbour," he said, his voice as shaky as before.
"Emma from where? Is it Delta State?" I asked again.
"Emma from PH," he said and ended the call.
I dropped the phone and believed it was a mistaken call, judging by the way he hung up when he realised that the Kingsley he had called was the wrong person. That was exactly what I believed, and I felt really relieved because whatever was happening to him at that moment wasn't my concern, since it had nothing to do with anyone I knew.
After about five minutes, I began to feel guilty for letting the man go like that without sharing his sad moment with him or, at least, consoling him over the pain he was going through. I thought of calling him again, but my instincts told me I shouldn't do that. So, I stayed put. All through the night, from that moment at 2 a.m., I couldn't sleep, and that's how I stayed awake until morning.
When I spoke with a friend of mine in the morning, she suggested that it could have been a scammer who wanted to play a fast one on me, but when things didn't go as planned, he decided to quit.
It's very funny how I didn't think of that possibility throughout the night.
But hey, I don't think that was a scammer because everything seemed natural, and I wasn't persuaded to pay any hospital bills, even though he mentioned that his wife had been admitted to the hospital and that the money in their POS account had been wiped out.
"Kingsleyy, that was a scammer. Period!" my friend insisted, backing up her claim with her previous experiences.
Thanks for reading.
Photo: Chatgpt