The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Benin Zonal Office has stated that it has detained at least 113 suspects of Internet fraud in eight months through its ‘Operation Re-wire’.
During a news conference in Benin on Monday, Muktar Bello, head of operations, EFCC in the area, said this.
Mr Bello said the arrests took place in his area of jurisdiction between January and August, including the states of Edo, Delta, and Ondo.
According to him, the arrests were made possible due to the recent strategic plans of the anti-graft commission to address the cybercrime threat in the area.
During the period under review, he said the committee secured 53 convictions, while other instances were still pending in various courts.
He said several exotic cars, laptops, mobile phones, flash drives, internet modems and charms had been recovered from the suspects.
Mr Bello said the committee would quickly use the latest operation wire to bust cybercrime kingpins and personalities in the area, in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
He gave certainty that the procedure would guarantee the confiscation of businesses and assets that were created and linked to suspected cyber criminals.
“Very soon you will see us closing up car dealerships and raiding hotels, but all these are end result of Business E-mail Compromise (BEC),” he said.
He said the cooperation with the FBI had led to the arrest of a suspected female cyber fraudster, supposedly working in a dark web with foreign counterparts.
Mr Bello said the suspect was specialized in acquiring and stealing identity data from people, which she generally passed on to her American colleague.
“Her collaborator uses it to file for fraudulent tax return with the Internal Revenue Service, and she receives her cut through Bitcoin.
“About 185 Bitcoin, which by current market value is over N656 million, has been traced to her,” Mr Bello said.
He also said a cybercriminal and two brothers involved in BEC were detained by the commission.
He said the three suspects ‘ modus operandi was to always find the formal email addresses of the victim on the internet.
He said the suspects would be arraigned soon, adding that the commission remained determined to eliminate cyber crimes in the area.
