Nigeria Customs Service Issues Urgent Warning Over Fraudulent "J.O Attah Autos" Instagram Auction Scam

Nigeria Customs Service flags fraudulent @nigeriacustoms001 account for running fake car auctions. Public advised to avoid payments to J.O Attah Autos.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 7, 2026, 4:35 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Peoples Gazette

Impersonation and Fraudulent Vehicle Listings

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has officially distanced itself from a viral Instagram account operating under the handle @nigeriacustoms001 and the name J. O Attah Autos. The account features discounted images of vehicles accompanied by a contact phone number, designed to lure unsuspecting buyers into a fraudulent auction scheme. NCS spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada confirmed on Monday that the page is an act of impersonation intended to defraud the public.

Abuse of Officer Identity

A particularly deceptive element of the scam involves the use of an actual NCS personnel’s image as the profile picture for the "J.O Attah Autos" account. Maiwada clarified that the officer depicted has no involvement in social media car sales and is himself a victim of identity theft by the scammers. The Service emphasized that no legitimate Customs auction is conducted through unofficial personal accounts or third-party social media pages.

Instructions for the Public

To prevent financial loss, the NCS has issued a set of directives for social media users: