Useful information
Prime News delivers timely, accurate news and insights on global events, politics, business, and technology
The country increases the repression of online scammers, which attract victims using romance promises to invest in false cryptocurrency investments.
Nigeria has deported 102 foreign citizens, including 60 Chinese and 39 people from the Philippines, who were convicted of “cyber terrorism and internet fraud,” according to the country’s anti -corruption agency.
The announcement of the Commission of Economic and Financial Crimes of Nigeria (EFCC) occurs on Thursday when the country increases a repression in online fraud operations, which attracted victims through online romances to deliver cash for false investments of cryptocurrencies.
The EFCC spokesman Dele Oyawale, later told the AFP news agency that another group of 39 Filipinos, 10 Chinese and two people from Kazakhstan had also been deported since August 15.
More deportations were also scheduled in the next few days.
The anti-corruption agency published photos of Asian men with surgical facial masks, aligned in the airport check-in counter.
The deportees were among the 792 alleged cybercriminals arrested in a single operation in the area of the Victoria de Lagos Island in December. At least 192 of those arrested were foreign citizens, of which 148 were Chinese, said EFCC.
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, has a reputation of the Internet scammers known in local jargon as “Yahoo Boys”, and the EFCC has broken several hiding places where young suspected crimes learn online scam skills.
According to the agency, foreign gangs recruit Nigerian accomplices to find online victims through Phishing scams. The attackers generally try to deceive the victims to transfer money or reveal confidential information, such as passwords to accounts.
The scams are mainly directed to Americans, Canadians, Mexicans and Europeans, said EFCC.
Experts say that fraudulent investment schemes used by cyberamoner have become increasingly sophisticated and dynamic as they take advantage of the latest digital technologies and tools.
The schemes finally leave the victims, many of whom invest their savings, commercial capital and money borrowed, unable to do nothing but to see their money gained with so much effort.
Experts also warn that “cyber crimes unions” foreign have established a store in Nigeria to exploit their weak cybersecurity systems.
