The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested 792 suspects including Nigerian, Chinese, Arab and Filipino nationals allegedly involved in cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams.
The EFCC Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, said this during a press briefing on Monday in Lagos.
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He said that after months of surveillance, the EFCC operatives arrested the suspects in a “surprise operation” at their hideout at a seven-storey building known as Bigleaf on 7, Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Sources said EFCC arrested the suspects on 10 December.
“Among the foreigners arrested are 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos, two Kharzartans, one Pakistani, one Indonesian,” Mr Uwuren said.
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“Investigation established that the foreign nationals use the facility at 7, Oyin Jolayemi Street, which could be mistaken for a corporate headquarters of a financial establishment to train their Nigerian accomplices on how to initiate romance and investment scams and also use the identities of Nigerians to perpetrate their criminal activities.”
According to the agency, the syndicate runs an independent power supply to carry put its “neferious’’ activities.
“All the floors are equipped with high-end desktop computers. On the fifth floor alone, investigators recovered 500 SIM cards of local telcos that were bought for criminal purposes.
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Operations
According to the EFCC’s acting director in Lagos, Micheal Wetkaz, the Nigerian nationals recruited by the “foreign kingpins” scout for victims online through phishing, targeting mostly Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, and several others from European countries.
“They usually arm them with desktop computers and mobile devices and create fake profiles for them,’’ he said.
“The Nigerian accomplices are equally provided with logs that allow them access to foreign communication lines and victims, which they chat with on WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram.
“They are also assigned WhatsApp accounts linked to foreign telephone numbers, especially from Germany and Italy.”
Mr Watkaz told journalists that the employees’ primary purpose is to engage with victims in romantic conversations and phantom business and investment discussions to trick them to shop on the purported online investment shopping platform.
“Those who show interest, activation fees for an account on the platform starts from $35USD,” he added.
Recruitment criterion
Speaking further, he said that the requirement to be a part of the ‘company’ is proficiency in typing before they were taken through a two-week induction on how to impersonate foreign females in romance scam chats and convince victims to invest in their employers’ Cryptocurrency investment scam.
“Once the Nigerians are able to win the confidence of would-be victims, the foreigners would take over the actual task of defrauding the victims and proceed to block their Nigerian accomplices from the network. This would then leave them in the dark about the transaction,” he said.
“Surprisingly, the Nigerians do not know the owners of the ‘company’ they work for, as they neither get letters of appointments nor receive payment from a corporate account. Investigation revealed that they are paid either in cash or through an individual’s account.
“Further investigation is ongoing to establish the extent of the scam and the accomplices, including the likelihood of any collaboration with organized international fraud cells.’’
Recovered items
The anti-graft agency said they recovered desktop computers, mobile phones, laptop computers, and cars.
Mr Wetkaz said that the suspects are being held with a valid remand warrant and will be arraigned in court soon.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the unprecedented number of detainees from a single operation has overwhelmed the EFCC’s Lagos offices, leading to overcrowded cells. Amid the resulting chaos, this newspaper learnt that as on Sunday evening many suspects are being held in office spaces due to inadequate facilities.
Police arrest of 113 foreigners for cybercrime activities in Abuja
The EFCC arrest came on the heels of November’s arrest of 130 individuals, including foreigners, over their alleged involvement in high-level cybercrimes, hacking, and activities threatening national security.
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The 113 foreigners among the suspects (87 males and 26 females) nationals of Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Brazilian, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Thailan origins.
The foreign nationals were arrested along with 17 Nigerian (four males and 13 females).
According to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, an assistant commissioner of police, the arrests were made in a coordinated operation by the Police Zonal Command Headquarters, Zone 7.
Mr Adejobi said the operation was led by an assistant inspector general of police, Benneth Igweh, and the Commissioner in charge of the National Cybercrimes Centre of the, Ifeanyi Uche, a commissioner of police.
The suspects were arrested on Saturday, 3 November, in a building in the Next Cash and Carry area of Jahi, Abuja, where the alleged criminal activities were reportedly carried out.
The police have arraigned the suspects before the Federal High Court in Abuja
The judge, Ekerete Akpan, granted each of them bail in the sum of N200 million with five sureties.
The sureties must be residents of Abuja and must each own landed property worth N200 million.
They were unusual bail conditions that likely factored in the defendants’ status as foreigners. Generally, courts do not demand more than two bail sureties from defendants.
The defendants were to remain in prison pending when they met their bail conditions.
The judge fixed 27 February 2025 for their trial.
Additional reporting by Abiodun Sanusi
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