‘Andile Lungisa Facebook hacker’ wants money
Embattled Nelson Mandela Bay politician Andile Lungisa, who began his prison term on Thursday, was trending on social media at the weekend — but it had little to do with his imprisonment.
Instead, a person purporting to be Lungisa was asking for money from friends and family via Lungisa’s own Facebook account.
A WhatsApp number, xxx xxxx xxx, was provided.
Lungisa’s brother, Ayongezwa Lungisa-Ntlemeza, took to Facebook denying that it was his sibling asking for money. He said his brother’s Facebook account had been hacked and someone else was asking for money on his behalf. Lungisa-Ntlemeza said the hacked account was discovered after he received numerous calls from his Facebook friends.
“Andile does not have that cell number. We wish to advise everyone that those inboxes are not from Andile as they purport and he cannot be WhatsApped as he does not have gadgets to perform such activity,” Lungisa-Ntlemeza said.
“The hacker has put Andile’s picture on the profile of this number s WhatsApp. This is unfortunately a nefarious and evil act to depict him to be in possession of technological gadgets thereby [seeming he is being] treated in a special way from prison,” he said. Attempts were being made to temporarily deactivate his brother’s Facebook account.
The Dispatch messaged the WhatsApp number. Someone responded that he was indeed Lungisa and asked for R800 to be transferred via FNB’s e-wallet service.
But when called, the cellphone number went straight to voicemail.
When the Dispatch WhatsApped the person to tell them calls were not being picked up, the person blamed “network problems”.
Asked by the Dispatch what it was like in prison, the person responded: “It is hard.”
The person was then asked to take a photograph of him/herself and send it via WhatsApp.
An old photograph of Lungisa sitting at a table outdoors drinking what seemed like coffee was sent. The person did not respond to further queries wanting to verify whether they were really Lungisa.