- EFCC says it arrested 402 suspected Internet scammers in Lekki.
- It followed by bank transfer at 27% and cryptocurrency at 21%
- A total of $2,512.49USD was recovered from the e-wallet account
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it arrested 402 suspected Internet scammers in Lekki, Lagos, between April and June 2021.
EFCC explained that 64 percent of the criminals benefitted from dating scams to the tune of N8, 310,00; $349,290, and cryptocurrency 0.17513.
Lekki, the fast-developing upper-middle-class area of Nigerian city Lagos Metropolis. Lagos is appearing as the new hub of internet-related fraud, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has said.
Accordingly, Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesman, title, ‘Lekki, now a hotbed of cybercrime-EFCC.’ It stated, the Advance Fee Fraud and Cyber Crime Sections of the Lagos Command recorded a total of 402 internet-related fraud arrested, which happened between April and June 2021.
Moreover, the Advance Fee Fraud Section, in charge of 243 arrests, the Cybercrime Section executed 18 sting operations which resulted in 159 arrests, in which 13 convictions have so far recorded. Of these 159 suspects accused by the Cybercrime Section, 70 are from Lekki, incorporating communities such as Ajah, Badore, Victoria Garden City, Sangotedo, and Oniru.
Analysis of the data from the Cybercrime Section further shows that the dominant form of Internet crime is a dating scam. In that 64 percent of individuals arrested, involved in romance scams, followed by MiddleMan Scam and Picking which account for eight and seven percent, respectively of those arrested.
In detail, the data also reveals gift cards, at 39%, as the prevalent method employed by the suspects to access their illicit funds. It followed by bank transfer at 27% and cryptocurrency at 21%
Even more, a total of $2,512.49USD, recovered from the e-wallet accounts of four within the period.