* Unemployment, harsh economy, get-rich-quick syndrome top causes
* As youths see it as viable option
* EFCC’s efforts yielding positive results
* “Parents, religious/traditional leaders slack”
Despite efforts by the EFCC to curb cases of cybercrime, cyber fraud still hangs above, threatening the mage of the country like the sword of Damocles, DAVID MAXWELL writes.
Owunari George received his July 2023 salary at about 9:30 pm on August 2. He immediately rushed to a nearby Point of Sale, POS operator in Masaka, Nasarawa State where he resides to withdraw the sum of N18,000 in order to immediately pay up a neighbour whom he was owing N15,000, but by morning he was no longer able to withdraw money from his Zenith Bank account either via USSD transfers or his ATM card. Unfortunately, he thought it was as a result of issues with the bank’s network so he kept trying until August 4, so he rushed to the branch in Nyanya but couldn’t even get.into the banking hall due to the crowd and for poor network so he proceeded to the branch at EFAB Branch, Area 11 to know what was happening with the bank’s network only to discover that he had just N13.48 instead of N176,248.74. He later found out that he was a victim of cyber crime, qnd this has become the folly of many a Nigerian as well as foreigners who fall victim to these criminals.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC’s raid in Lagos on Tuesday December 10 shocked many Nigerians and foreigners alike. The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, had disclosed that the Commission, in a landmark raid, arrested 792 suspects for their alleged involvement in cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scam.
The suspects were apprehended in a surprise operation at their hideout, an imposing seven-storey edifice known as Big Leaf Building, on No.7, Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, following verifiable intelligence received by the Commission.
Speaking during a media briefing on Monday, December 16 at the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Commission, Olukoyede stated that 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos, two Kharzartans, one Pakistani, one Indonesian were arrested during the operation.
The EFCC’s boss, who spoke though the Director, Public Affairs, EFCC, Commander of the EFCC, CEWilson Uwujaren, further stated that the foreign nationals used the facility, 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 used the identities of their Nigerian accomplices to perpetrate their criminal activities.
According to him, “All the floors are equipped with high-end desktop computers. On the 5th floor alone, investigators recovered 500 SIM cards of local telcos that were bought for criminal purposes.
“Their Nigerian accomplices were recruited by the foreign kingpins to prospect 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.
“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.”
While giving further details about the modus operandi of the syndicate, the EFCC Chair said the Nigerian accomplices, who are assigned WhatsApp accounts linked to foreign telephone numbers, especially from Germany and Italy, engage victims in romantic conversations as well as phantom business and investment discussions to trick them to shop on the purported online investment shopping platform called www.yooto.com.
He added: “For those who show interest, activation fees for an account on the platform starts from $35USD.
“Investigation revealed that the criterion for recruiting these young Nigerians is proficiency in the use of computers, especially typing skill. Those who passed the test are given desktop computers and mobile devices and then 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, however, said the Nigerians involved in the alleged fraudulent activities “do not know the owners of the ‘company’ they work for because they are not offered letters of appointments or receive payment from a corporate account.”
According to him, the suspected Nigerian accomplices are usually paid either in cash or through an individual’s account.
Olukoyede said the Commission was working with its foregoing partners to establish the extent of the scam and the accomplices as well as the likelihood of any collaboration with organized international fraud cells.
The EFCC Chair also used the occasion to debunk the notion that Nigerians are behind the tonnes of frauds emanating from the country.
“Foreigners are taking advantage of our nation’s unfortunate reputation as a haven of frauds to establish a foothold here to disguise their atrocious criminal enterprises. But, as this operation has shown, there will be no hiding places for criminals in Nigeria,”he said.
Also speaking during the occasion , the acting Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Commission, Michael Wetkas, sought greater collaboration with the media in the fight against corruption and economic and financial crimes.
Items recovered from the suspects include desktop computers, mobile phones, laptop computers and cars at the point of arrest.
The suspects will be charged to court after investigations are concluded.
Responding to this exposure and arrest, Johnson Enojo, a graduate of computer science and cyber security expert said: “While cybercrime of any sort can never be excused, investigations show that he harsh economy, coupled with unemployment and the get-rich-quick syndrome has led most of these persons into this new form of advance fee fraud.”
He says this has lead many especially youths and the unemployed to see cyber fraud as a viable option to succeed.”
Like Enojo, virtually all the respondents pointed at unemployment, harsh economy and the desire to get rich quick and without hassles as.prime reason for the proliferation of cybercrime.
Findings by this medium reveal that the efforts of the EFCC in curbing cybercrime is yielding verifiable positive results.
For instance, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, restated its commitment to the fight against cyber crimes, stressing that the crimes have become an organized threat and onslaught to the development of nations.
This disclosure was made in Abuja on Monday, April 29, by Olukoyede while receiving a delegation from the International Criminal Police Organisation, Interpol, that paid him a courtesy visit at the corporate headquarters of the Commission.
Olukoyede pointed out that the EFCC’s operations against cyber crimes are focused, relentless and fruitful. “EFCC, apart from the Police , is one of the prominent, specialised anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria that has the mandate to investigate cybercrime and we have been doing that. In the last few months, we have secured over five hundred convictions in cybercrimes and over the years we have had cause to collaborate with FBI, NCA and other prominent law enforcement agencies in the world in the area of combating cybercrime. We are much ready to do more and also to encourage the heads of the world to give access to information.”
But a youth leader in Akukutoru Local Government Area of Rivers State, Kalatubo Wilson-Jack said: “even though we are aware the very bad economy and the high rate of unemployment are to be blamed, my interactions with stakeholders show that traditional and religious leaders are to be blamed as they slack in preaching against a sinister criminal offense as cyber crime.
“We know the role unemployment, inflation and the sickly notion of wanting to get rich quick and easy, I think our religious and traditional leaders have huge chunk of the blame. How can you defend their failure of priotising preaching against cyber fraud, and instead encouraging this sinister crime by turning the blind eye?
“I think all hands must be on deck to address this societal I’ll?”
