₦450,000 Lost to a Fake Accommodation Agent in Ifetedo – Please Be Careful!

₦450,000 Lost to a Fake Accommodation Agent in Ifetedo – Please Be Careful! I want to share my experience so that someone else doesn't have to go through what we experienced. It all started when my friend and I were searching for accommodation around Ifetedo because of school resumption. My friend came across someone who claimed to have access to an available apartment. We were interested in the apartment, and after some communication, arrangements were made for payment. Unfortunately, we didn't properly verify the person or the legitimacy of the accommodation before sending the money. My family paid ₦200,000, while my friend paid ₦250,000, making a total of ₦450,000. The person was communicating with us through ordinary SMS, and there was no proper receipt or reliable documentation to protect us. After the payments were made, things started becoming suspicious. The person we had been communicating with and the driver involved stopped responding to our calls and messages. That was when we realised we might have been scammed. The experience has been extremely frustrating, especially because this money was meant for accommodation ahead of resumption. Beyond the financial loss, it has caused a lot of stress and uncertainty. I'm sharing this because I wouldn't want anyone else searching for accommodation in Ifetedo or around UNIOSUN to experience the same thing. PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN LOOKING FOR ACCOMMODATION. Some lessons from our experience: 1. Never send money for an apartment without properly verifying the agent and the actual owner. 2. Insist on seeing the apartment physically before making payment. 3. Don't allow anyone to pressure you into paying because they claim other people are interested. 4. Ask for proper documentation and receipts. 5. Verify ownership and the identity of whoever is collecting your money independently. Please don't make the same mistake we did. Be careful, ask questions and verify everything before transferring your money. I hope this helps someone avoid a similar experience.