UNILAG VC raises alarm over impersonation on LinkedIn, WhatsApp

Crime Diary, Education

LAGOS, Nigeria (NPA) — The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Folasade Ogunsola, has reacted to reports of fraudsters impersonating her on LinkedIn and WhatsApp platforms.

Ogunsola, the 13th Vice-Chancellor of the university and the institution’s first female vice-chancellor, thanked Dr Joe Abah for bringing the matter to her attention.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the vice-chancellor said she had already notified LinkedIn headquarters about the impersonation and had also published several disclaimers and cautionary notices warning members of the public.

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Her response followed concerns raised by Dr Joe Abah, who disclosed that he received a LinkedIn connection request in March from an account bearing Prof. Ogunsola’s identity.

According to Abah, he accepted the request and later received a WhatsApp number purportedly belonging to the vice-chancellor for easier communication.

“She then sent me her WhatsApp number for ease of communication, and we have been chatting and exchanging pleasantries since then,” he said.

Abah, however, stated that the WhatsApp account later began sending suspicious messages believed to be linked to online fraud. “Two days ago, the number started to send me what were clearly 419 fraud messages,” he said.

He added that efforts to verify the authenticity of the account through LinkedIn and text messages received no response, prompting fears that the LinkedIn profile itself may have been created for fraudulent purposes.

“It just struck me that the person with the WhatsApp number may have created the LinkedIn profile for fraud purposes,” he added.

Abah appealed to anyone familiar with the vice-chancellor to alert her to the situation, noting that he deliberately withheld the phone number from public disclosure in case it belonged to her and had merely been compromised.

Identity theft and impersonation targeting prominent individuals have remained a growing challenge within Nigeria’s telecommunications and cyberspace, with fraudsters often exploiting the identities of public figures to defraud unsuspecting victims.