Court jails internet fraudster for impersonating American recruiter

The Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced Ademola Idris to three months’ imprisonment for internet fraud.

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Mr Idris, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced specifically for disguising as an American recruiter via Gmail to gain unlawful advantage.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned him before Judge Dehinde Dipeolu on Friday on one count of cybercrime.

A statement shared via its X official handle on Tuesday, EFCC said “Mr Idris, sometime in 2021, held out himself on Google mail as Mike Samorano, an American recruiter, with intent to gain advantage.”

The commission said the offence violated Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes Act of 2015.

Mr Idris pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

‘How convict defrauded victims’

After his plea, prosecution lawyer A.A. Usman called an EFCC operative, Kamal Musa Jubril, to review the facts of the case.

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Mr Jubril told the court that the defendant was arrested in Alagbado, Lagos, during a sting operation, following credible information about internet fraud activities in the area.

The EFCC operative said Mr Idris initially claimed to be a cryptocurrency trader, but “later confessed to online employment fraud.”

“Mr Idris usually sent random emails offering non-existent jobs to unsuspecting victims after obtaining their contact details from the Craigslist App,” Mr Jubril said.

He said the defendant broke his iPhone 15 Pro Max upon sighting EFCC operatives.

He added that the defendant benefitted $400 from the fraudulent activity and had made restitution of N300,000 to the commission.

After Mr Jubril’s testimony, Mr Usman tendered the defendant’s extra-judicial statements, the broken iPhone 15 Pro Max, and forensic documents, which the court admitted in evidence.

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Judge Dipeolu convicted and sentenced Mr Idris to three months’ imprisonment without an option of fine.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the N300,000 restitution and the iPhone to the Federal Government.

Meanwhile, a check by PREMIUM TIMES did not show any online record of the impersonated name, Mike Samorano, suggesting it may have been a fictitious identity created for the fraud.

Email Scam Prevalence and EFCC Convictions

Research shows Nigeria’s internet fraud rate rose from 1.1 per cent in 2021 to 2.6 per cent in 2024. This places the country among the highest globally.

A 2025 INTERPOL cybercrime assessment identified online scams, especially phishing and business email compromise, as the most common cybercrimes across Africa. West Africa accounted for a significant portion of the activity.

Academic studies on advance-fee fraud also confirm that email remains a dominant channel.
Such messages often begin with “Dear friend”, “Greetings”, or “Confirm”. Victims are lured with fake job offers, romantic promises, or investment deals.