A viral social media story about a man allegedly deceiving neighbours and friends into donating money for a fake medical emergency has triggered massive reactions online.
According to a lady who shared the incident on X, the young man reportedly went around seeking financial help, claiming his mother urgently needed surgery at the hospital.
Out of sympathy, people in the area allegedly contributed different amounts to support him. While some reportedly sent as little as ₦2,000, others gave up to ₦50,000.
The woman said residents genuinely believed the situation was critical, adding that one neighbour even withdrew money from her thrift savings to assist.
“A guy in my area borrowed money from almost everyone last year. He claimed his mother was in hospital and needed urgent surgery,” she wrote.
“People chipped in, some sent ₦2,000, others ₦50,000. One woman in our compound even withdrew money from her thrift savings because she felt sorry for him. Everyone was praying for his ‘mom.’”
However, according to her account, the story allegedly fell apart just two weeks later after videos from the man’s lavish birthday celebration surfaced online.
The clips reportedly showed a party in Lekki featuring expensive drinks, loud music, a hotel stay, and what appeared to be a brand-new iPhone.
Residents who had donated were said to be shocked after discovering the supposed medical emergency may never have existed.
The lady further claimed that the man’s mother was later seen healthy and going about her normal activities.
“Two weeks later, someone posted videos of his birthday party in Lekki. Champagne, a new iPhone, a hotel room, loud music,” she added.
“The worst part? His mother was perfectly healthy. I later saw her buying tomatoes outside as if nothing had happened.”
According to the post, several people later confronted the man over the alleged deception, but instead of apologising, he reportedly mocked those who believed his story.
“If you people were wise, you wouldn’t believe every sad story online,” he allegedly said.
The story has since sparked heated debate across social media platforms, with many users condemning the alleged act as heartless and manipulative.
While some argued that economic hardship may be driving people into desperate behaviour, others insisted that lying about a parent’s health to gain sympathy crossed a serious moral line.
The lady who shared the story questioned how someone could comfortably invent such a claim involving their own mother.
“Maybe I’m too emotional, but I feel that once someone can comfortably lie about their own mother for money, nothing is off limits anymore,” she wrote.
Reactions online
Many social media users flooded the comment section with mixed opinions:
“This is exactly why people ignore genuine cries for help these days.”
“Using your own mother’s health as a scam is deeply disturbing.”
“Hard times are real, but this level of manipulation is dangerous.”
“Now innocent people with real medical emergencies will suffer disbelief because of people like this.”
“If he can lie about something this serious and still laugh about it, that’s a major red flag.”
“The saddest part is that kind-hearted people are always the ones who get hurt in situations like this.”
Published by Ejoh Caleb
