By: Bayero Ade
The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has apprehended a suspect accused of defrauding an American woman of $597,000 in an online romance scam.
According to Afripost, Police spokesperson ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi disclosed the arrest during a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja. He explained that the suspect had impersonated an American citizen to lure unsuspecting victims, particularly women, into online relationships for financial exploitation.
According to police investigations, the suspect was tracked down through an intelligence-led operation and reportedly admitted to defrauding an American citizen, identified as Deborah Woods, of nearly $600,000.
A search of his residence resulted in the recovery of multiple electronic devices linked to the fraudulent activities. Additionally, eight BMW vehicles, believed to have been purchased with proceeds from the scam, were seized and placed under police custody as evidence. Authorities are now working to identify other potential victims.
In a related development, the police also arrested two individuals accused of creating and distributing compromised financial accounts used to facilitate fraudulent transactions totaling over ₦400 million.
Investigations revealed that the suspects were recruited via Telegram by an unidentified foreign cybercriminal. Their role involved creating fake financial profiles using pre-registered SIM cards and email addresses, which were then distributed to accomplices in various states for Know Your Customer (KYC) verification.
One of the arrested suspects was allegedly responsible for obtaining KYC details and fraudulently securing Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), which were then used to upgrade compromised accounts to Tier 5 verification.
ACP Adejobi further disclosed that in January alone, the Nigeria Police Force arrested 84 individuals for cyber-related crimes. This included 32 suspects apprehended by the NPF-NCCC and 52 arrested by the Police Special Fraud Unit in Lagos.
He credited these successes to the proactive measures introduced by Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, aimed at intensifying efforts to combat cybercrime and protect Nigeria’s reputation in the global financial space.
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