Photo: 3 internet fraudsters posed as clients to swindle property dealer out of N3.8m in Lagos

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of Lagos State Police Command have arrested three people for being members of an internet fraud gang that swindled a property dealer in Lagos State the sum of N3.8 million while posing as a client...

The suspects, Olisa Oyegbuka, 28; Ifeannacho Kingsley, 27 and Ujumwa Aniemena, 33, were all arrested on Wednesday, 30th November, 2016 in Akwa, Anambra State.

The suspects are part of the internet fraudsters that specialised in hacking into email addresses and using them to send messages seeking transfer of funds in tranches to different accounts.

Unlike the present gang, the other gang, comprising of four young men were arrested in Onitsha for hacking into the email account of the CEO of a popular lotto company based in Lagos, and sought the transfer of five million naira cumulatively into four separate accounts.

According to the Lagos based estate agent, name withheld,

 "I received an email (withheld) giving payment instructions. The owner of the email address is my client. It gave payment instructions to transfer funds in my custody to an account belonging to one Emmanuel Ajinubi with First bank Account No. 3046974892. The first transfer of N800,000 was on 24th October, 2016. On 27th October, 2016, there was another instruction to transfer N530,000 to same account. 

"On 1st November, 2016, I transferred N720, 000 into Ifenancho Kingsley, First Bank, Account 3050290672 and further instruction the following day of N850,000 to same account. 

"The total amount transferred into the two accounts was N3, 820,000. Just after the payment on 2nd November, my client called me that was when we realised that the payment instructions did not emanate from him, rather, it was made by fraudsters,” he explained.

One of the suspect whose account was used during the transfer, Ifeanacho Kingsley, admitted that two separate transactions of N720,000 and N850,000 were transferred into his account, adding that, a family friend, Chinedu Emmanuel, had requested for his account details and thereafter took his ATM card and PIN to withdraw the money.

"The first alert of N720,000, I got on my phone, but within a twinkle of an eye, the money was wiped from my account. The following day, I got another alert of N850, 000. Almost instantly, there were lots of POS transactions bearing “Grand POS” Asaba. Since then, I have not seen him and I don’t know the kind of job he does. As I talk to you, my ATM card is still with him."

Another suspect, Olisa Oyegbuka told investigators that his friend, Egbuka, who was arrested by RRS few weeks earlier, was the one who used his account to funnel N800, 000 into a Fidelity Bank Account belonging to one Tamino.

RRS investigators added that efforts are still on-going to arrest other members of the gangs who they believed are directly involved in the hacking into of some corporate and individuals’ email for fraudulent purposes.

Responding to the incident, the Police PPRO, SP Dolapo Badmos, warned criminals using other states as a base to perpetuate crime in Lagos that the Command would get them from their hideouts. The three suspects have been transferred to SCID for further investigation.