The Girl Behind The Screen

I typed in the codes: 45839, 83902, 8293. Suddenly, my screen went blank.

My phone rang persistently, and I struggled to silence it. The surroundings were hazy, and my attempts to silence the phone felt futile. Symbols flashed on my phone screen, adding to the confusion. Frustration built up, and just as it peaked, I woke up with the persistent ringtone still in my ears. I reached for my phone on my bedside table; it was 6:30 am. Uju was calling.

“Urgh! Why is she calling? It’s still early,” I groaned inwardly, rubbing my temples. What could be so important that she has to wake me up by this time on a Saturday morning? I unlocked my phone and saw that I had 4 missed calls.

With a sigh, I answered the call, half-expecting it to be something urgent.

“Hello! Uju, what’s goin-“

“Kamara, check your Instagram now!” Uju’s urgency cut through the line.

The night air was chilly and serene as I lounged on my bed, scrolling through my phone. A message notification popped up — Daisy. She was an old acquaintance, and we haven’t been in touch for years.

I replied to Daisy’s message, and we got talking like there was no lost time. Daisy proceeded to tell me about her ongoing projects.

“Kamara, there’s this incredible business deal I want to share with you. It’s called the Finex Investment Plan, and honestly, it’s been a game-changer for me,” Daisy interjected.

“Okay, what is it about?” Kamara asked.

“Imagine a way to grow your money without the limitations of traditional banking. The Finex Investment Plan offers both long-term and short-term options. Here’s the magic — you invest some money, and after a designated period, you not only get your initial investment back but also with added interest. It’s a brilliant way to watch your money work for you, unlike keeping it in a regular bank where it just sits idle. I started this venture because I truly believe in its potential, and I wanted to share it with friends like you,” Daisy replied.

How much am I supposed to invest? Kamara asked.

“You can start with as little as 1000 naira,” she replied. “Think about it, and let me know when you’re ready. It’s worth it, trust me.” Daisy responded.

“Okay, I will think about it.” Kamara said.

“That’s fine. Just let me know when you’re ready. Anyways, let me gist you. So there’s a new guy. His name is Femi…” Daisy replied.

Days passed, and I found myself considering the opportunity. Daisy made an Instagram post with the caption Love is like the ocean, infinite and deep. #foreverandalways.

Kamara, intrigued, messaged Daisy.

“Awwww, y’all are so cute together. God when?!”

“Lol, yours will come soon. Just be patient! How have you been? It’s been a month since we spoke last”, Daisy replied amused.

“I’m good, and you? I shouldn’t even be asking; you’re clearly having fun”, Kamara replied.

“Yeah, I’m on vacation but I’m still really busy. I have been working. I’m happy that it’s paying off.”

“Oh, the investment business you’re into. I checked the business page on LinkedIn, and it has 7k followers. That’s really impressive. There were a lot of positive reviews too.” Kamara retorted.

“Yeah, the business has been growing. People are cashing out big time from it, why not invest and find out? Even if it’s 1000 naira”, Daisy responded.

“Okay, I will invest 2k.”

“I will send you a form to fill, and my Personal Assistant will be with you.”

A notification chimed on Kamara’s phone, breaking the silence in the room.

Kamara received an alert of 100,000 naira. She sent a message to Daisy.

“Wow, I’m really making good profit from this business. And so far, I have invested about 40,000 naira”, Kamara said in excitement.

“That’s how it is, the more you invest, the more you get in return. In fact, you would get more money if you invest a larger amount”, Daisy replied.

“I have been considering that for a while — making a big investment. It’s been almost 2 months since I have been in this investment plan.”

“Whenever you are ready, just let me know.” Daisy reassured.

“Actually, I am ready now. So this is it. My dad just sent my school fees to me to pay for it, but I would like to invest it. My school fees cost about 1.1 million naira”.

“That’s great! You would literally get a 100% profit rate. Your output will probably be up to 3 million. At least 2 million”.

“I know! That’s why I am excited about it. I can’t wait to get started with it”.

“Okay, I will send you a form to fill, and we can get started with the transaction”.

Kamara received an alert of 3 million naira a few weeks after she finalized the transaction with Daisy. She was elated. However, when she checked her bank app, the money wasn’t reflecting there. She sent a message to Daisy concerning this.

“Daisy, the money isn’t reflecting in my bank app. What’s happening?”, Kamara asked.

“Don’t worry, Kamara. It will reflect soon. It’s probably just a network issue”.

A ping interrupted the silence in the room. It was a code. Then two others came.

“I just sent you three codes. I am trying to rectify the issue with your payment. Send me the codes,” Daisy asked.

Kamara sent her the three codes, and then her screen went blank. Confused, she thought it was part of the process. She went on her Instagram and found herself logged out. That was strange. She decided to be patient, thinking it was part of the process.

“Kamara, check your Instagram now!”

I was fully awake, and I became tense. I could literally hear my heart pounding. I opened my Instagram and realized I was still logged out.

“Uju, I am logged out of my Instagram, can you please send me a screenshot of my Instagram?” I desperately asked.

“Sure, let me check,” Uju swiftly responded. After a moment, she sent a screenshot. The betrayal unfolded before my eyes — I saw Daisy’s unauthorized posts about the Finex Investment Plan. I was furious and devastated.

“Daisy scammed me, Uju! I invested my school fees, and now it’s all gone.” Kamara broke down into tears. She felt confused and lost.

“What? That’s awful! We have to find her and report her to the police. You’ll get your money back, Kamara. Cheer up; everything will be alright.” Uju replied.

Kamara tried to reach out to Daisy. She called her several times, but the calls didn’t go through, and the text messages were left unread. She went to Facebook, searching for Daisy. Typing in her name, Kamara hoped for some answers. To her dismay, she found Daisy’s profile, but a pinned post caught her attention.

“This post was made 6 months ago,” Kamara read. She felt dizzy, her mind racing. How was it possible? She sent Daisy a message on Facebook, desperately seeking an explanation.

“Daisy, your phone was stolen?” I asked trying to stay calm.

“Yeah, my phone was stolen some months ago, but I got a new one. Why? what’s up?” Daisy replied.

“Daisy, I have been chatting with you for almost three months on Instagram,” I said in confusion.

“Instagram? I haven’t created a new Instagram account. My old Instagram account got hacked after I lost my phone. Some people reached out to me about getting messages from me on Instagram. That’s why I made this post to warn others,” Daisy said.

Kamara’s world crumbled further. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. All this time, she had been conversing with an imposter. The photos, the investment plan, everything was a charade orchestrated by a cunning scammer.

Devastated, Kamara broke down in tears, realizing she had lost everything.

Writer’s note:

Happy New Year! It’s been a while! I am so glad to be back. I had fun writing this, but I must admit, it was a bit challenging to put this together. I hope you enjoy this story. Pls follow, share and leave your comments!