EFCC’s Major Bust: 193 Foreigners and 599 Nigerians Caught in Crypto and Romance Scams!
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested 193 foreigners and 599 Nigerians, totaling 792 individuals, for crypto fraud and romance scams.
Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC’s Director of Public Affairs, briefed journalists at the Lagos commissioner office. He announced the arrests of 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, 2 Kharzartans, 1 Pakistani, and 1 Indonesian.
Wilson explained that these foreign suspects trained Nigerians to carry out scams targeting people in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
This massive raid took place at the seven-story Big Leaf Building at No. 7 Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Investigators revealed that this building, which looked like a legitimate corporate office, actually served as a hideout for their criminal activities.
Inside, they found high-end computers specifically for their fraudulent operations. On the 5th floor, investigators discovered about 500 SIM cards used for these activities. These scammers created fake profiles on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram to lure victims into fake romantic and business dealings, convincing them to invest in a phony platform called www.yooto.com.
The scammers selected Nigerian employees for their tech skills. They trained them for two weeks on how to impersonate foreign women and trick victims into investing. Once a victim was hooked, the foreign leaders took over, excluding the Nigerians from the scam’s details.
Wilson concluded that the suspects are currently detained under a valid remand warrant and will soon face court. This operation shows that foreign criminals exploit Nigeria’s reputation to carry out their schemes, not just Nigerians.
Stay tuned for more updates on this major crackdown!
