The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has apprehended a total of 792 suspects involved in internet fraud activities.
The operation, which took place last week, targeted a notorious syndicate operating out of the Big Leaf Building located at No.7, Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The EFCC's Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed details of the raid during a press briefing held in Lagos on Monday. He stated that the arrests were the result of "actionable intelligence and months of surveillance and monitoring" of the syndicate's activities.
Among those arrested were 193 foreigners, including 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian, alongside 599 Nigerians.
Uwujaren explained that the foreign nationals had been using the facility, which could easily be mistaken for a corporate headquarters, to train their Nigerian accomplices in executing romance and investment scams.
"Investigation established that the foreign nationals use the facility to train their Nigerian accomplices on how to initiate romance and investment scams and also use the identities of Nigerians to perpetrate their criminal activities," he said.
The building was equipped with high-end desktop computers across all floors, and investigators recovered 500 SIM cards from local telecommunications companies on the 5th floor alone, which were allegedly purchased for criminal purposes.
The Nigerian accomplices were reportedly recruited by foreign kingpins to prospect for victims online through phishing, targeting individuals primarily in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and various European countries.
"They usually arm them with desktop computers and mobile devices and create fake profiles for them," Uwujaren added.
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