A Nigerian model has shared how she almost became the victim of a scammer in Abuja who tricks models with fake job offers and then steals their phones.
The model told her story on TikTok to warn others. She even posted a photo of the man behind the scam. According to her, this man pretends to be a modeling agent. He contacts models using phones stolen from his previous victims and offers them fake modelling jobs.
The model explained that the scam started when a friend sent her a message about a modelling job. Soon after, a man messaged her on WhatsApp, asking for her pictures and saying his “boss” would contact her. Later, the so-called boss invited her to a studio for what looked like a real photo shoot.
At the studio, the man acted like he knew the receptionist. Then he took her to a makeup artist and told her that another model was on the way. While the makeup artist was doing her makeup, the man stayed and waited.
After her makeup was done, he took her to a nearby location for the shoot. But while they were getting ready to take pictures, he suddenly disappeared.
“When we were taking pictures, the makeup artist started looking for him. She asked where he was, and I said I didn’t know. Then she told me he hadn’t paid her,” the model said.
She tried calling him, but his phone number was no longer working. The makeup artist, realising they had been scammed, called the police. Two officers came and briefly held the model until she explained everything.
She later found out that the scammer had done the same thing to other girls. He steals phones from one victim and then uses their contacts to find his next target.
“This is what the person has been doing and going scot-free,” she said.
Now, she is warning others to be careful and always check if a modelling job offer is real before going.
Her video:
