A young Nigerian woman has raised an alarm after robbers who stole her mobile phone reportedly accessed her bank account and borrowed ₦198,000 in her name.

The victim, identified as Wuraola on TikTok, said she initially believed losing her phone was the worst of the ordeal — until she discovered the criminals had taken a loan through her bank account when they found no funds to withdraw.

Sharing her frustration on social media, she questioned how the thieves managed to process the loan, noting that she did not have the bank’s mobile app installed on the stolen device.

Advertisement

Her revelation sparked concern from other users who have faced similar incidents. One commenter, @Mosh, asked how the criminals gained access, saying previous phone theft cases never allowed access to sensitive banking platforms. Another TikTok user, @Joyous_Luv, recounted losing even more — ₦450,000 borrowed and ₦200,000 withdrawn from her accounts when her phone was stolen.

Expressing her distress, Wuraola captioned her video: “My life is so private that nobody knows that when they stole my phone and no money in my account they borrowed 198K from my account GTB.”

The incident has reignited conversations about mobile banking vulnerabilities and the need for stronger security measures to protect customers when their devices are stolen.