The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced the successful execution of its largest single-day operation targeting cryptocurrency and romance scam networks. A total of 792 suspects were apprehended in Lagos during the operation.
At a press conference held on Monday, Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC’s spokesperson, revealed that the arrests occurred in a seven-storey building located on Victoria Island, Lagos.
Among the arrested suspects were 114 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, two Kazakhstani nationals, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian. Uwujaren disclosed that these foreigners were allegedly running a scam training facility in the building, where Nigerians were taught how to perpetrate romance and investment scams.
According to Uwujaren, the building was a sophisticated hub for orchestrating fraudulent schemes. Each floor was equipped with advanced desktop computers used for online scams. The EFCC recovered over 500 SIM cards from Nigerian telecommunications operators during the operation.
The EFCC spokesperson explained that the foreign nationals served as kingpins, employing their Nigerian counterparts to execute scams. The Nigerians were tasked with creating fake profiles and engaging with victims—primarily from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and European countries—through social media platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram.
The operation revealed that the scammers used a highly organized approach. The Nigerian recruits were given logs and tools to access foreign communication lines, enabling them to impersonate foreign individuals while interacting with victims. They were provided with WhatsApp accounts linked to foreign telephone numbers, particularly from Germany and Italy, which were used to gain victims’ trust.
The suspects’ main objective was to lure victims into romance scams or fraudulent business and investment schemes. Many victims were directed to a fake online investment shopping platform, www.yooto.com, where they were asked to pay activation fees starting from $35 to open accounts. Through these fake platforms, the scammers swindled unsuspecting individuals out of their money.
Uwujaren also stated that the suspects are currently in custody under valid remand warrants. The EFCC plans to arraign them in court soon.
Confiscated items from the operation include desktop computers, SIM cards, mobile phones, laptops, and several vehicles. Photos of the suspects, the building, and the seized items have also been released by the EFCC.
