The Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee has arrested 193 international nationals in a busted operation towards a cybercrime and cryptocurrency fraud syndicate in Lagos.
The Government Chairman of the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee, Ola Olukoyede, on Monday, mentioned the fee, in a landmark raid, arrested 792 suspects for his or her alleged involvement in cryptocurrency funding fraud and romance rip-off.
The EFCC mentioned the 193 international suspects have been amongst 792 people apprehended throughout a raid final Tuesday, on the seven-storey Huge Leaf Constructing on No. 7 Oyin Jolayemi Avenue, Victoria Island.
Throughout a press convention on the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Fee, Olukoyede acknowledged that the 193 foreigners have been 148 Chinese language, 40 Filipinos, two Kazakhstani residents, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian.
Olukoyede, who was represented by the Director, of Public Affairs, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, acknowledged that the international nationals used the ability, which may very well be mistaken for the company headquarters of a monetary institution, to coach their Nigerian accomplices on how one can provoke romance and funding scams and in addition used the identities of their Nigerian accomplices to perpetrate their legal actions.
“This can be a vital victory in our combat towards monetary crimes.
“These criminals, each native and international, thought Nigeria can be a haven, however we’ve proved in any other case,” mentioned the EFCC boss.
He mentioned the syndicate used the constructing as a base for recruiting and coaching younger Nigerians in cyber fraud, including that investigators found high-end desktop computer systems on each flooring, with the fifth flooring alone housing 500 SIM playing cards linked to native telecom networks.
“The Nigerians have been skilled to make use of pretend profiles to have interaction victims on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram.
“They have been taught to provoke conversations that always led to investments on a pretend platform, www.yooto.com, the place activation charges began at $35.
“As soon as the victims have been hooked, the international kingpins took over the rip-off, excluding their Nigerian accomplices from the transactions.”
He famous that investigations revealed that the Nigerian accomplices have been neither given formal contracts nor paid by means of company accounts. As a substitute, funds have been made in money or by way of particular person financial institution accounts.
“These foreigners exploited Nigeria’s repute as a hub for on-line fraud to disguise their legal enterprises,” Olukoyede mentioned.
He additionally famous that the arrest confirmed that not all scams originating from Nigeria have been carried out by Nigerians.
The EFCC seized quite a few objects, together with desktop computer systems, cell phones, laptops, and autos from the suspects, who had made statements, and their units underneath forensic examination.
Additionally, he mentioned the fee was working with worldwide companions to determine connections to world crime networks, stressing that the suspects have been being held underneath legitimate remand warrants and would face prosecution quickly.
“This operation sends a transparent message: criminals, whether or not native or international, will discover no hiding place in Nigeria,” Olukoyede added.
The EFCC has vowed to proceed its crackdown on monetary crimes, aiming to revive Nigeria’s repute and guarantee justice for victims worldwide.