Nollywood Actor, Comic Duped of Over ₦4m by FRSC Impostors

Nigerian actor Adekanla Aderinola Desalu, popularly known as Deza The Great, and comedian MC Monica have both fallen victim to a sophisticated phishing scheme in which fraudsters impersonated the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), draining more than ₦4 million from their accounts in separate incidents this week.

The scam begins with an unsolicited SMS claiming the recipient has committed a traffic offence—often speeding or another road safety violation—and directing them to a link to review details and pay a modest fine. Victims who click the link land on polished but fraudulent websites designed to look official. After entering card details and completing what appears to be a small payment, larger unauthorised debits follow, frequently routed as international web transactions.

MC Monica, whose real name is Edeh Sylvester Chisom, recounted receiving a message about a road traffic offence that prompted him to pay a ₦5,000 fine via the provided link. The next morning he discovered approximately ₦1.85 million had been withdrawn from his Wema Bank account through multiple unauthorised transactions, including a large “WEB Buy” debit.

He said his account officer informed him that recovery was not possible at the time. In social media posts, the comedian expressed frustration and questioned how his data reached the fraudsters, tagging the FRSC and asking whether his service provider or the agency bore responsibility. He noted that the only one-time password (OTP) he generated was for the ₦5,000 payment.

Desalu, a former banker who said he is ordinarily alert to fraud patterns, received a similar SMS claiming he had exceeded the speed limit and instructing him to pay a ₦2,500 fine. He entered his details and completed the transaction, only to later find $2,500 deducted from his account.

In a video shared on Instagram, the actor and filmmaker described his shock: he had believed the message was a legitimate technological upgrade by the FRSC and even mentioned it to a colleague who assured him such notices were routine. Upon discovering the loss, he immediately blocked his cards and reported the incident to his bank, but the funds were already gone. “From ₦2,500 to $2,500, God abeg,” he captioned the post, while issuing a public service announcement urging people not to click links received via SMS or email without thorough verification.

The incidents form part of a wider campaign. The FRSC publicly disowned the messages and associated domains, including frscgov.top/ng, on 16 September, stating they have no affiliation with the Corps. Officials directed the public to the genuine website frsc.gov.ng and the toll-free number 122. The agency warned that the messages are crafted to create urgency and harvest personal and financial information.

Other Nigerians have reported similar losses. Nollywood actress Eva Ibiam lost nearly ₦400,000 after responding to a comparable SMS shortly after road safety officers photographed her vehicle registration; the debit appeared as an international web purchase linked to a Dubai merchant. Additional reports describe near-misses and smaller but still significant withdrawals.

Security analysts note that the scheme often relies on real-time credential harvesting. Victims enter card details and OTPs on the fake site, enabling fraudsters to authorise larger transactions almost immediately. The initial “fine” is deliberately small to lower suspicion while the real goal is full account access.

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Both Desalu and MC Monica have used their platforms to caution the public. They advised against interacting with unsolicited links requesting banking or personal data and stressed the need to verify any official-looking communication through independent channels.

The FRSC has repeated its call for motorists to ignore such messages, avoid clicking suspicious links, and never share card details, passwords, or OTPs in response to them.

As the scam continues to circulate, authorities and financial institutions urge heightened vigilance. Officials recommend confirming any purported traffic fine only through the FRSC’s verified digital platforms or by contacting the Corps directly, while banks advise customers to monitor accounts closely and report unauthorised activity without delay.