N656m: Nigeria’s anti graft agendy arrests female internet fraud suspect

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly arrested a female internet fraudster whose name appears on the list of Nigerians indicted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Nation reports Muhtar Bello who is the head of the Benin zonal office of the EFCC said the arrest was made as a result of the collaboration between the agency and the FBI.
He said the female suspect whose name was withheld was arrested at a cyber café and that she worked as a collaborator with her foreign counterpart.

Bello said the female suspect was “involved in obtaining and stealing people’s identification information which she forward to her American collaborators.”

He said her American collaborators used the information to file for fraudulent tax return with the Internal Revenue Service.

He stated that the “suspect received her CT through Bitcoin and about 185 Bitcoin currently worth N656m was traced to her.”

The EFCC Zonal head said it independently arrested a cybercriminal and two siblings involved in Business Email Compromise (BEC).

He said: “The three suspects will have their date in court soon. We do not want to state the woman’s name so as not to compromise investigation.

“The Commission is resolute in exterminating cybercrime and bringing to book all those involved in this despicable activity.

“As part of our strategic plans to tackle this malaise, the Benin Zonal Office, from January to date, through intelligence raided the hideout of internet fraudsters in our jurisdiction-Edo, Delta and Ondo States.

“These raids led to the arrest of 113 internet fraudsters. While the prosecution of many of the cases is ongoing in court, we have so far secured 53 convictions in the period under review.”

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the EFCC arrested one of the alleged internet fraudsters wanted in the US by the FBI, Oyediran Joseph, over $46 million fraud and money laundering case.

Joseph, according to a statement made available on the anti-graft commission’s official Facebook page, was arrested in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.

The statement further noted that EFCC acting chairman, Ibrahim Magu, who was represented by Ilorin zonal head of the commission, Isyaku Sharu, briefed newsmen about Joseph’s arrest on Friday, August 30, at a press conference organised to explain the EFCC/FBI collaboration in the fight against internet fraud and cyber crime.

The EFCC boss said the anti-graft agency has been supporting the activities of the FBI and every other foreign counterpart whose responsibility is similar or analogous to the commission’s.