Woman Exposes Fake Rice Vendor For Scamming Her Mother Out Of ₦756k

• A Nigerian woman has exposed a scammer named Esther Ene Ohepo, who pretended to be a rice seller at Otukpo Rice Mill in Benue.

• She tricked the woman’s mother out of ₦756,000 and another customer out of ₦7 million.

• In a detailed post on the social media site X, the woman shared the upsetting story of her mother’s encounter with the fraud.

A Nigerian woman has exposed a scammer named Esther Ene Ohepo, who pretended to be a rice seller at Otukpo Rice Mill in Benue. She tricked the woman’s mother out of ₦756,000 and another customer out of ₦7 million.

In a detailed post on the social media site X (formerly Twitter), the woman shared the upsetting story of her mother’s encounter with the fraud.

As mentioned in the post, her mother, who is in a wheelchair due to spinal surgery, launched a rice business to lighten the financial load on her kids.

In 2021, she bought rice from Esther, someone she had only talked to via phone and WhatsApp. She started selling rice in her hometown of Akure, hoping to grow her business.

In December 2022, Esther persuaded her to order 26 bags of rice for ₦4 million, assuring her it would be delivered in a week.

Sadly, the delivery was late, and there were many excuses. When the rice didn’t come and Esther didn’t return the money, the woman started to think she was being scammed.

Even after many efforts to fix the problem, with the police getting involved, Esther still refused to take responsibility.

A woman contacted one of Esther’s former customers, who shared that he had also been cheated out of ₦7 million. He had made a formal complaint against her, and it was said that Esther was paying him back bit by bit.

The woman talked about her difficulties in recovering her money. She said she even asked someone in Benue for assistance, but there was no progress.

The police in her mother’s area were also unable to help because of jurisdiction issues.

She voiced her disappointment over the lack of help and highlighted her mother’s sadness regarding their situation. She noted that her mother always aimed to support the family, despite facing health problems.

In conclusion, she appealed to the public to recognize her mother’s hardships and to stop the criticism. She pointed out that if she had been able to fully care for her mother, this situation could have been prevented.

FULL STATEMENT:

“Good day everyone, today marks the second day of my mission to call out a fraudulent woman named Esther Ene Ohepo, who disguises herself as a rice vendor at Otukpo Rice Mill, Benue. This may be a lengthy read, but I implore you to indulge me so that others may be saved from this deceit.”

“I know it’s still early in the year to start calling people out, but I’ve run out of options, as every other attempt has proven futile. In 2021, I bought a 25kg bag of rice from a seller here on Twitter as a gift for my mother to try.”

“After receiving her feedback, she liked it and wanted to buy more, especially since it was affordable and made in Nigeria. I only went back to the seller twice to ask a question and leave a review.”

“During one of my visits to my mom, I noticed she seemed sad and worried. Knowing her well, I could tell it was something serious, especially since she had survived two near-death experiences in 2010 and 2017. I asked her what was wrong, and she reluctantly opened up.”

“She told me that since the last bag of rice I sent her, after complaining that it wasn’t exactly 25kg as promised, she had been in touch with the seller and even started her own rice business.”

“This was surprising to me, but I understood her desire to do something for herself. As an elderly woman confined to a wheelchair after a spinal surgery, she wanted to earn and stay productive instead of depending on her children for financial support.”

“She told me that she started small, with five bags of rice, which were successfully delivered. She even rented a small shop in Akure, my hometown, without informing me, and placed her cousin’s wife in charge.”

“She sold the rice to people who appreciated the fact that it was Nigerian-made, cheaper, clean, and of good quality.”

“By December 2022, after receiving many orders, she decided to place a larger order with Esther, whom she had never met in person but had only communicated with over the phone and WhatsApp.”

“She paid for 26 bags of rice in installments, as she was initially cautious. Her intention was to invest ₦4 million fully, but she decided to start small. Esther promised that the bags would be delivered in a week, but the delivery kept getting delayed.”

“When Christmas came around, my mother couldn’t fulfill the orders, and her customers, who had been satisfied with the rice, became upset.”

“My mom fell ill, and that’s when I visited her. She explained that Esther claimed the truck driver had driven off with all the bags. She promised to refund the money in January, but it never happened. My mom, being kind-hearted, agreed to give Esther more time to recover, understanding that doing business in Nigeria can be tough.”

“Esther never contacted my mom or refunded any money. My mom, afraid to tell me, eventually called me to explain the situation. She had sent her caregiver to the police station to get the DPO’s number and called Esther, who promised to repay her in installments.”

“At this point, I contacted a previous buyer of Esther’s, who shocked me with the revelation that Esther had scammed him for ₦7 million. He had filed a petition and had her arrested, and she was paying him back in small amounts. We exchanged contact details in the hope that he could help me locate Esther and recover my mother’s money.”

“It has been a long, difficult, and frustrating journey. Esther has continued to deceive us. She even claimed that her husband died (the same husband shown in the picture above). The person who helped me was sent a voice note from her, crying and telling him the news. However, I couldn’t sympathize because her husband had been involved from the beginning.”

“The man my mom spoke to when she first complained about the rice quantity was the same person who communicated with her when the first delivery was made. Esther later took over communication, and we have not been able to get any help from a contact in Benue who promised to assist.”

“She keeps saying I need to come to Benue, and the police in my mother’s area can’t help either. I’m at my wit’s end, and my mom is unhappy.”

“My mom is hypertensive, physically disabled, kind-hearted, and hardworking. Despite her situation, she never let it deter her from trying to earn a living at her age.”

“I understand this is a lengthy post, and some may question why I didn’t report the matter to the police earlier. We have reported it, but the police don’t have jurisdiction, and they don’t even know where Esther is.”

“Instead of criticizing my mother, I ask that you focus your judgment on me. If I had been able to fully provide for her, she wouldn’t have felt the need to start this business.”

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