Nigeria - 419 Coalition 2017 News on Nigerian Scam / 419 Operations



In early January 2022, the EFCC has changed its domain name from
efccnigeria.org (which it has been for many years) to efcc.gov.ng

The effect of this is that any links To pages and articles on their
website that use  efccnigeria.org   as the domain, do not work.  This
is a Kazillion of links to their site out in internet-land that no
longer work.

Either every single link to all of these articles and pages will 
have to be changed and updated to the new domain ( efcc.gov.ng ) 
by every single site or webpage which linked to the old domain 
( efccnigeria.org )  OR the EFCC will have to make Every Single
Page on its site accessible via  BOTH the old and the new domains.
In short, the two domains will have to be made universally equivialent,
so that in effect, for all practical purposes, one is the same as
the other.

419 Coalition knows this can be done, as we did it on our Own site
when we changed our domain from home.rica.net/alphae/419coal  to
419Coalition.org .

To be blunt, so far the "rollout" of this new domain by the EFCC
has been an absolute disaster for the agency, given that it has
kaputed Many Thousands of links to the EFCC site internet-wide.

We've told them this in no uncertain terms and have told them
they need to Fix this problem quickly so that ALL the links - 
old domain and new domain - to their site and pages therein work.

We await developments..... but are not hopeful
***************************************

29 DEC 2017
From enternigeria.com, a Nigerian website, brought to our
attention by a concerned Nigerian:

Meet your 'Nigerian prince.' Police say he's behind hundreds of scam emails 

Anyone with an email address has likely gotten a message from a Nigerian prince 
or two offering hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in secret 
inheritances or, in some cases, payment for assistance laundering ill-gotten 
gains from mining conglomerates or royal treasuries [this is only one type of
many, many types of West African, primarily Nigerian, 419 Advance Fee Fraud].

Police in Slidell, Louisiana, say they finally caught up with one of the people 
behind some of those emails. He's not exactly Nigerian royalty, either, police 
wrote in a Facebook post.

Michael Neu, 67, of Slidell, Louisiana, [who is a Caucasian, and a US citizen
419 Coalition believes] faces 269 counts  of wire fraud and money laundering 
following an 18-month investigation, police wrote. They say Neu took part in 
hundreds of financial transactions involving phone and online scams to con 
money from people across the United States.

In these scams, the supposed Nigerian prince (or other official) asks for 
the person's personal banking information in order to speed the transfer 
of the purported inheritance or temporarily hold the allegedly pilfered funds
[this version of 419 is often called 'Classic 419' and, once again, is only 
one of many, many types of 419 and 419 'tales']. The information can then be 
used to withdraw funds from the victim's accounts [now, this is simply not
accurate. 419ers do NOT routinely "reach into" a target's accounts and withdraw
money unbeknownst to the target.  419ers persuade the target to VOLUNTARILY
send monies to them.  That is 419er standard operating procedure.  The "reach
into the target's accounts" thing has always been largely a canard, though 
we do note that there are very rare instances where that may be the case].

While Neu might lack a royal title, at least some of the money obtained 
in his scams did go to co-conspirators in Nigeria, police wrote [this West 
African connection is what makes this a 419 AFF "Nigerian Scam" case]. 
Investigators are continuing to untangle Neu's web of scams, but many other 
leads also connect to people outside the U.S., the post says.

Police noted that while these kinds of emails are laughable to many people, 
authorities report millions of dollars in losses to such scams each year
[in fact, that would be hundreds of millions per annum in the US alone].

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," said Police Chief Randy 
Fandal in the Facebook post. "Never give out personal information over the phone, 
through e-mail, cash checks for other individuals, or wire large amounts of money 
to someone you don't know. 99.9 percent of the time, it's a scam."

Here is the URL of the article, which includes photos and
additional materials, for as long as it is good:
http://www.enternigeria.com/2017/12/29/meet-your-nigerian-prince-police-say-hes-behind-hundreds-of-scam-emails/

This news story was widely reported in the US and international
media.

419 Coalition note: The remarks in brackets [ ] are made by 419 
Coalition, and were not part of the original article.
*****************************************

12 JUL 2017
From the Punch, a Nigerian newspaper:

Internet fraudsters hijack police Facebook page 
to recruit members

Afeez Hanafi

Suspected Internet fraudsters, popularly called Yahoo boys, have 
turned the Facebook page of the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria 
Police Force into an avenue to advertise their skills.

The suspects, through a series of comments, demanded between N5,000 
and N50,000 from those who wanted to learn classified sites for defrauding 
people, especially foreigners, and offered options of online, as well as 
physical teaching platforms.

Hundreds of persons, including students, graduates and ladies, indicated 
interest in learning the skills for making quick money and provided their 
mobile numbers on the SFU Facebook page.

The comments were reactions to a post by the SFU sensitising the public 
to Internet fraud.

The unit in the post tagged, 'Common Tricks Yahoo boys use to Swindle 
Foreigners Revealed,' had warned people against falling victims of the 
fraudsters.

The post read in part, "One of the tricks they use in swindling 
foreigners is called 'Freestyle.' The Freestyle trick is the simplest 
and it is common among starters. Applying Freestyle trick, all you 
need to do is to open an account in any of the popular dating sites 
and look for someone to fall in love with you; afterwards, he or she 
starts paying your bills, sending hard currency."

"Also, one of the major tricks, Yahoo and Sakawa boys are using to 
perpetuate this act is 'Over Payment.' The Over Payment trick requires 
a lot of processes. The Yahoo boy who uses this trick pretends to be 
a prospective buyer by logging into any of the popular Internet classified 
sites, after which he offers the person who he is buying from, a cheque 
as a mode of payment."

"In this case, Yahoo boys have a way of persuading the seller to send 
the excess after issuing an over payment cheque. With this trick, a Yahoo 
boy can buy goods worth $1,000 and issue a cheque of $5,000. What the Yahoo 
boy is interested in is not the goods he claimed to be interested in, but 
the excess money that will be sent to him after the cheque must have been 
cashed."

The update concluded with a slogan 'Say No to Fraud;' but what trailed 
the slogan was brazen defiance to the police warning, with commentators 
boasting of their mettle in various Internet scam sites.

The comments had reached over 1,762 with 158 shares as of 8.17pm on Tuesday.

In one of his comments, one Thomas Joshua, wrote, "If you are interested 
in G (Yahoo yahoo), message me ASAP (as soon as possible) via +2349021933459. 
Tutor fee is 5k (N5,000). I will teach you how to make cool money in a week 
and if you have interest in hacking, wire transfer, ATM card hacking etc.,
message me ASAP."

One Kingxam Millionz stated that he ran tutorials on classified sites such 
as Dating, Spamming, Next of kin, Letgo and Grant, among others, with a fee 
ranging from N5,000 to N15,000.

Another poster, Stev Emmanuel, gave out his email address and phone number, 
07064229454, to intending members, saying "Hello dear friends, for those 
that want to be Yahoo boys, here comes your opportunity."

One Desmanking Destiny, who replied Emmanuel on the SFU platform, said he 
was "100 per cent serious" to learn the skill.

A graduate, Ajisafe Adekunle Olowolayemo, said he was jobless and was 
desperate to go into cybercrime.

He wrote, "Please, I'm a graduate of Marine Engineering… I have been jobless 
for good four years. I sought jobs in so many shipping companies, but to no 
avail. Please, I need a boss who will teach me the rudiments and basis of 
Yahoo yahoo."

A poster with an alias, Kvng Segzkid, said, "I am a graduate of Science 
Laboratory Technology. Since 2015, I have yet to get a job. I have no choice 
but to venture into gee (Internet fraud). I need a boss and promise to be 
loyal and honest with him."

One Sanni Rasheed cautioned the posters on the criminal chats, saying 
"This act will be prosecuted under the law of the country."

But one Hon Stainless Cash, dared the Economic and Financial Crimes 
Commission and other security agencies to come after him.

He said, "To all the EFCC and SARS on this page, if you intend to trace me, 
please do trace me or track me if you can find me and I will highly welcome 
you. Please, make sure you track me; for your service is highly needed."

Ladies also joined in the discussion and expressed willingness to engage 
in Internet fraud.

A commentator, Ugo Osinachi, wrote, "I want to be a gee guy. I need help 
from any boss please. Here is my number 09060655750; I am on WhatsApp 
and Facebook. Please bosses, help me out, I am serious about this."

Titilayo Adetoba also said, "I want to become gee guy; any help should 
contact me, 09068646625. I am curious."

The SFU spokesperson, ASP Lawal Audu, said the unit was aware of the comments 
on its Facebook page, adding that a manhunt had been launched for the posters.

He said, "We are tracking them, but we don't want to speak about it publicly. 
We are making efforts. Scientific investigation is not something you do anyhow; 
otherwise, you won't get at your targets."

Here is the URL of the article for as long as it is good:
http://punchng.com/internet-fraudsters-hijack-police-facebook-page-to-recruit-members/
*******************************************

11 JUL 2017
From the Punch, a Nigerian newspaper:

American gets $250,000 bail for $565,000 fraud

Oluwatosin Omojuyigbe

An America citizen, Marco Ramirez, who was detained in Kirikiri prison 
for allegedly defrauding three Nigerian of $565,000, was on Monday granted 
$250,000 bail by a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja.

Ramirez was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission 
on 16 counts bordering on obtaining money by false pretences and conspiracy 
to commit fraud which he pleaded not guilty to.

Justice Josephine Oyefeso said she was inclined to releasing the American 
on bail because prior to his first arraignment before the Federal Capital 
Territory High Court, Abuja on April 8, he had been kept in the EFCC custody 
for about 130 days.

The judge also observed that the defendant was detained for another 10 
days before his re-arraignment in Lagos on June 22.

Justice Oyefeso held, "It is at the discretion of the court to grant 
bail and having considered the nature of the offence, though not a capital 
offence but a very serious one, the defendant is hereby admitted to bail 
in the sum of $250, 000 or in its naira equivalent."

"The defendant shall produce two sureties who must be resident in Lagos 
State. One of the sureties should be a director or a board member in a 
reputable company."

"The two sureties must have a landed property in a highbrow area of Lagos 
and shall present evidence of tax payment which must be verified by the 
Chief Registrar."

"Both sureties must show evidence of viable source of livelihood and shall 
swear an affidavit to prove same."

"The land, sea and air immigration must also be notified. The defendant 
must also report once a week to the EFCC office," the judge said.

The judge thereafter, adjourned the matter till November 15 and 16, 2017 
for continuation of trial.
             
Here is he URL of the article, which includes a photo of Marco
Ramirez, for as long as it is good:
http://punchng.com/american-gets-250000-bail-for-565000-fraud/
************************************

22 DEC 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arrests 13 Suspected Internet Fraudsters 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos zonal 
office, has arrested 13 suspected Internet fraudsters for conspiracy, 
possession of fraudulent documents and obtaining money under false 
pretence.

The suspects are- Badejo Tobi; Abiola Dimeji; Anthony Godwin; Osoba 
Adeboye; Adeleken Abiodun and Awokoya Oriyomi Yusuf.

Others are: Oyatayo Ismail; Coffie Meschark; Sylvester Amaddin; 
Olawale Farouk; Adeniran Tolani; Taiwo Michael and OyekanmiAyodeji.

They were arrested on Saturday, December 16, 2017 in some parts 
of Lagos and Ogun States, following intelligence report received 
by the Commission about their activities.

The suspects allegedly confessed to be involved in phishing, love 
scam, forgery, spoofing and business email compromise, among other 
offences.

Phishing is an attempt to obtain sensitive information such as 
usernames, passwords and credit card details (and money), often 
for malicious reasons, by disguising as a trustworthy entity 
in an electronic communication.

Spoofing, on the other hand, is a type of scam where an intruder 
attempts to gain unauthorized access to a user's system or information 
by pretending to be the user.

Some of the suspects, who live flamboyantly without any known sources 
of income, were said to have bought houses and exotic cars from the 
proceeds of their criminal activities.

They were allegedly found to be in possession of forged contract 
papers of multinational oil and gas companies, banks’ instruments 
and forged data page of international passports of foreign nationals, 
among other documents.

Other items recovered from the suspects included laptops, flash 
drives, modems, one Range Rover SUV, one Toyota Highlander, Two 
Toyota Corolla and one Toyota Camry.

The suspects will soon be charged to court as soon as investigations 
are concluded

Here is the URL of the press release, which contains
several photographs, for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2915-efcc-arrests-13-suspected-internet-fraudsters
********************************************

6 NOV 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

Fraudster Bags 7 Years for N20m Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission today November 6th, 2017 
secured the conviction of one Mohammed Yusuf before Justice Zainab Bage 
Abubakar of the Federal High Court Gusau, Zamfara State.

The convict was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment on each of the eleven 
count charge preferred against him by the EFCC.

Upon his arraignment on April 8, 2013 the convict pleaded not guilty 
to the eleven count charge, but after more than four years of trial, 
the convict approached the commission with a plea bargain proposal 
which was accepted and both parties came to an agreement.

The convict had defrauded the complainant, one Ya'u Mohammed to the 
tune of N20,000,000 (Twenty Million Naira Only) between November 2012 
and January 2013 in a classic advance fee fraud scheme. Posing as 
a 'spirit' named 'Asmau', based in Niger Republic, the convict was 
able to convince the complainant through a  phone call into believing 
that the mystery female voice had powers to establish schools and 
mosques to propagate Islam but needed a human vessel through which 
this could be achieved.

The complainant gullibly fell into his trap after threats that he 
either obeys the voice of the spirit or die.

Subsequently, the convict began to extort his victim and used the 
money to buy exotic cars and acquire a mansion in red bricks area 
of Kano state.

In her judgment today, Justice Zainab convicted the Mohammed Yusuf 
pursuant to section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice 
Act, 2015. "This court found you guilty of the offence you are 
charged with and you are accordingly convicted as charged". She said.

In passing the sentence, the trial judge adopted the plea bargain 
agreement between the two parties and sentenced him to seven years 
imprisonment. However the sentences are to run concurrently from 
the day of his arrest.

The court also ordered that title document mention in the plea 
bargain agreement be transferred to the nominal complainant as 
restitution. It was also ordered that all other properties 
of the convict that are in the custody of EFCC shall revert 
back to the convict. The fake dollars tendered as exhibit 
EFCC B was also ordered to be destroyed by the EFCC. 

Here is the URL of the press release, which contains a photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2850-fraudster-bags-7-years-for-n20m-scam
**************************************

19 OCT 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

$3. 7m Scam : FBI Lauds EFCC's Role In Tracking Fraudster

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has 
commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, 
for its dedication and support in bursting a high profile 
Business E-mail Compromise, BEC, fraud in Dallas, Texas, 
which led to the arrest and eventual of a Nigerian, Amechi 
Colvis Amuegbunam.

It acknowledged that the "intelligence obtained by the EFCC 
and provided to the FBI via Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty" 
was instrumental in identifying the BEC scheme and Amuegbunam's 
specific role.

"The Dallas field Office, Legal Attaché Office, and both the 
FBI's Criminal and Cyber Divisions are extremely appreciative 
of the EFCC as a joint partner in the pursuit of global justice 
for the many victims of these BEC related crimes".

Amuegbunam, 30, who was on a student visa in the US was sentenced 
to 46 months imprisonment and ordered to pay $615, 555.12 in restitution 
for his role in BEC scheme that caused $3.7million loss to US companies.

The convict and other individuals were said to have between 
November 2013 and August 2015 sent fraudulent emails to companies 
in the Northern District of Texas and elsewhere containing 
misrepresentations that caused the companies to wire transfer 
funds as instructed on a pdf document that was attached to 
the email.

Investigation into the crime followed reports by two companies 
in the Dallas Fort Worth area to the FBI Dallas Office that they 
had received targeted spear phishing emails allegedly from a top 
executive at a company authorising the company's accounting 
department to make financial transfers for the company, a source 
that was traced to Amuegbunam.

After complying with the spear-phishing email instructions to 
transfer funds, the companies became victims of the BEC scheme.

Here is the URL of the press release for as long
as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2827-3-7m-scam-fbi-lauds-efcc-s-role-in-tracking-fraudster
***************************************

9 OCT 2017
From the Nigerian Exonomic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arrests Four Suspected Internet Fraudsters

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, 
EFCC Lagos Zonal office, have arrested four suspected Internet 
fraudsters.

The suspects are:  Oluwaseun Michael, 28; Igbokwe Chijioke, 27; 
Felix Chukwudi, 22 and Babajide Goloba.
 
They were arrested on September 30, 2017 in different parts 
of Lagos, following intelligence report.
 
The suspects are alleged to have defrauded their victims, who 
are mostly American and European citizens, millions of Dollars.
 
The suspects, who are school drop-outs, have confessed involvement 
in romance/ marriage scam, Internet advertisement scam, spoofing 
of emails and interception of business mails.
 
Investigation reveals that the suspects, who have also allegedly 
confessed to be working as couriers for movement of stolen funds 
by other cyber-criminals, own companies with no fixed addresses, 
which they used to cover up the real sources of their income.
 
Items recovered from the suspects at the time of their arrest 
include laptops, mobile phones and phishing scripts, among others.
 
The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations 
are concluded.

Here is the URL of the press release for as long as
it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2806-efcc-arrests-four-suspected-internet-fraudsters
************************************

29 SEP 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arraigns Four Internet Fraudsters 

The Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic Crimes Commission, EFCC 
Friday 29 September, 2017, arraigned four suspected Internet 
fraudsters; Omosehin  Sina, Oladimeji Oladayo, Olowosagba Olamilekan 
Samson and Afilaka Oluwole Michael before Justice Ayo Emmanuel 
of the Federal High Court  Ibadan , Oyo State on separate charges 
bordering on possession of documents containing false pretence.

While Omolehin and Oladimeji were arraigned on a six-count charge, 
Olowosagba and Afilaka were docked for four and three- counts 
respectively. They pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

In view of their plea, the prosecuting counsel, Harrison Ibekwute 
approached the judge for a trial date and since there was no application 
for bail before the court, the judge remanded the accused in Agodi 
prison and adjourned till 31 October, 2017 for commencement of trial.

One of the charge against Omosehin Sina and his co-travelers, reads 
that you "Omolehin Sina , Sometime in April , 2017 in Ibadan, Oyo 
State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, was found  
in possession of a document used by you as "Rose Thompson" on B3, 
and dated by April 3, 2017, which to your knowledge contains false 
pretence that you are a woman and thereby committed an offence 
contrary to Section 6 and 8(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other 
Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) 
of the same Act".

Here is the URL of the article, which contains several
photographs, for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2784-efcc-arraigns-four-internet-fraudsters
*******************************

27 SEP 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission(EFCC):

EFCC Arraigns former Bank Manager, Others for N72m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission today September 27, 
2017 arraigned four suspected fraudsters Sani Abubakar, Abubakar 
Abdullahi,  Mainasara Kallamu and Abdulrazaq Abdullahi before 
Justice Ibrahim Kangiwa of the Kebbi State High Court on eight 
count charge of conspiracy , forgery obtaining by false pretence 
and issuance of dud cheque.

The accused persons allegedly conspired among themselves and diverted 
N32,000,000 (Thirty Two Million Naira ) being balance of the eight 
hundred units of motorcycles worth  N72,000,000 (Seventy Two Million 
Naira) belonging to the complainant, one Ibrahim Iron by falsely 
claiming that the motorcycles were meant for the Nigerian Union 
of Teachers.

Investigation further revealed that all the contract documents 
they presented to the complainant were forged.

It was further alleged that, after the supply of the motorcycles, 
the accused persons only paid the complainant the sum of N40,000,000 
and diverted N32,000,000 (Thirty Two Million Naira Only) to their 
personal use.

After much pressure from the complainant for the balance of his 
money, the accused persons issued him with a cheque which was rejected 
on presentation at the bank due to insufficient funds in the account.

One of the charge read that, "you Sani Abubakar while being the 
Manager of Argungu Micro finance Bank, Abubakar Mohammed of No. 18 
Tashar Nana, Mainasara Kallamu and Abdulrazaq Abdullahi sometime 
in 2008 at Kebbi within the jurisdiction of this honourable court 
conspired among yourselves to do an illegal act to wit: used forged 
documents titled; 'Letter of Irrevocable guarantee' purported to 
have been issued by Argungu Micro finance Bank and letter 
of Management Guarantee purported to have been issued by 
Universal Basic Education Board Kebbi State and entered into 
contract for the supply of 800 units of motorcycles worth N72,000,000 
(Seventy Two Million Naira ) with Iro Mamie Enterprises, and thereby 
committed an offence contrary to section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee 
Fraud and Other Fraud related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable 
under section 1 (3) of the same Act".

All the accused persons pleaded not guilty after listening
to the charge.

Justice Kangiwa allowed them to continue to enjoy the administrative 
bail granted to them by the EFCC and adjourned the matter to October 3, 
2017 for the commencement of trial.
 
Here is the URL of the press release, which includes a photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2776-efcc-arraigns-former-bank-manager-others-for-n72m-fraud
**************************************

26 SEP 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC to Arraign Four Suspected Internet Fraudsters

Four suspected internet fraudsters will soon be arraigned in court 
by the Benin Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes 
Commission,  EFCC. The suspects, Shiko Romeo, Bobby Edigiu, Henry 
Nisike and  Emmanuel Ayo were arrested recently  by officers of 
the Nigeria Police on suspicion of being involved in internet fraud.

Upon handing the suspects over to the EFCC, operatives of the Commission 
commenced investigations including analysis of documents retrieved from 
the laptop computer recovered from them.

The suspects have confessed to their involvement in internet fraud 
using fake identification on Facebook in their attempt to defraud 
unsuspecting victims especially European and American women.

For instance, Romeo, who claims to be a student of National Open 
University,  NOUN,  confessed that he scammed the duo of K. Zamaripas 
and Susan various sums of money in a romantic relationship  using 
the name John Culfer who lives in New Jersey, USA.

The  suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigation 
is concluded 

https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2768-efcc-to-arraign-four-suspected-internet-fraudsters
********************************************

15 SEP 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arrests Eight for Alleged Internet Fraud 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested eight 
suspected Internet fraudsters. The suspects: Samson Olujobi, 28 
(a.k.a Mau Rice, Melinda Mcginnis); Abraham Sunday, 32 ( a.k.a. 
Raymond Dodson); Gabriel Ayo, 25 ( a.k.a. Robert McIntosh, Donald 
Great); Omotayo Raphael, 25 (a.k.a. Michael Black); Semiu Sunday 
Olawale, 23 (a.k.a. J. Cabtree); Dafe Onosigho, 27 (a.k.a. Johna 
Kurz ); Ewiolo Elvis, 32 (a.k.a. Morgan Moore), and Usiaka Louis, 
22 (a. k.a. Anthony Parker, David Smart, Alfred Norman), were 
arrested around the Egbeda and Agege areas of Lagos August 27, 
2017 following intelligence report on their alleged involvement 
in internet crimes.

The suspects were said to have defrauded their victims of huge 
sums of money in different currencies posing as Americans in online 
dating scam.
 
Some of the items recovered from the suspects during the raid 
include six laptop computers, five mobile phones (including two 
iPhones) one Internet modem and four exotic cars (Toyota Venza, 
Toyota Corolla, Hyundai and Honda Crosstour). 

The suspects will soon be charged to court after investigations 
are concluded.

Here is the URL of the press release for as long as
it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2746-efcc-arrests-eight-for-alleged-internet-fraud
************************************

5 SEP 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arrests Seven MAPOLY Students, Others for Internet Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos zonal office, 
has arrested seven National Diploma (ND) students of the Moshood Abiola 
Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State for alleged offences bordering 
on conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretences and possession 
of forged documents.

The suspects- Adesina Olalekan, Makinde Noheem, Toheeb Ogunowo, Somotun 
Olusola, Somotun Sodiq, Tajudeen Hafeez Bolaji and Kareem Olaseni- are 
studying various courses in the institution.

They were arrested alongside Iyun Ifeoluwa, Odusanwo Ibrahim, Obanijesu 
Opeyemi Soneye, Azeez Olayinka, Babatunde Ajala, Ojejimi Ademola, Aderowunmi 
Ayomide and Oluokun Oluwaseun by operatives of the Commission within Abeokuta 
and its environs on August 17, 2016, following a petition received by the 
Commission about their activities.

The suspects, who were said to be  living flamboyantly, were alleged 
to  be involved in internet scam, forgery of financial instruments and 
lottery scam, among others.

One of the suspects, Olaseni, a 21-year-old Business Administration student, 
was said to have created a Facebook account with the name Dean Robert, with 
which he interacted with his victims. 

In his statement, Olaseni gave a blow-by-blow revelation of his modus 
operandi, saying, "I tell them (his victims) that they have won Facebook 
Lottery.  I have people who receive the money sent by the victims.  Then, 
the money is remitted into my personal accounts domiciled in GTBank and 
Skye Bank."

A number of items, including laptops, forged documents, were recovered 
from the suspects during their arrests.

The suspects will be charged to court after investigations are concluded.

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes several
photographs, for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2732-efcc-arrests-seven-mapoly-students-others-for-internet-fraud
****************************************

11 AUG 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Nabs Fake Online Shopping Operator

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal 
Office has arrested a suspected internet fraudster, Afolabi Ojo, 
who allegedly specialized in defrauding unsuspecting members 
of the public through phony online shopping.

Ojo, a student of the Polytechnic of Iree (Iree-Poly), Osun State, 
was arrested following a petition alleging that sometimes in June, 
2017, while window-shopping on Instagram, the petitioner came across 
some slippers and shoes on a page "Best Classic Store" purportedly 
owned by one Kemisola with WhatsApp number 08106802815 displayed 
on the page.
 
According to the petitioner, a sum of N53,000 (Fifty-Three Thousand Naira) 
was paid for some items purchased on the online store (Best Classic), into 
an account purportedly owned by one Oyebola Olasunkanmi with account number 
0027735703 domiciled in one of the first generation banks.
 
Strangely thereafter, the suspect not only refused to deliver the goods, 
but went incommunicado. Hence, the suspect was reported to the EFCC.
 
On arrest, Ojo confessed to being the one posing as 'Kemisola' on the 
online platform to deceive people especially ladies into patronizing him.
 
He said: "I do not have any goods. I only pose as a lady using the 
name 'Kemisola' with the handle "Best Classic Store" on Instagram. 
Some of the items I used to display for sale include female shoes, 
slippers, hand bags and wallet. After I have lured my victim to pay, 
I will disable him from my chat so that he can no longer reach me".
 
The suspect will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.
 
Meanwhile, members of the public are advised to be cautious when buying 
goods online as not to fall victim of phony online stores with heinous 
motives. 

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes as photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2710-efcc-nabs-fake-online-shopping-operator
*******************************************

26 JUL 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Recovers Camcorder for German National

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, 
July 26, 2017, returned a parcel containing a Camcorder to the 
Federal Office of Criminal Investigation, Germany, otherwise known 
as BKA, for onward delivery to a German, David Muehling.

The Canon E0S C100 Camcorder was returned to the BKA through its 
representative in Lagos, Damilola Adewale, by the Head of Operations, 
EFCC Lagos zonal office, Garba Dugum.

The Commission recovered the parcel, following a petition received 
from the BKA on July 20, 2017.

The BKA had notified the Commission about the encounter of a German 
businessman, David Muehling, who was allegedly duped by a Nigerian 
simply identified as Michael.

Michael had allegedly sent an email to Muehling, requesting to buy 
the Camcorder.

Upon receipt of a scanned cheque issued by Micheal for payment, 
Muehling was said to have sent the Camcorder, through the Nigeria 
Postal Service, NIPOST, to Michael.

However, the cheque was not honoured when presented by Muehling 
at the bank.

Here is the URL of the press release for as long as
it is good: 
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2687-efcc-recovers-camcorder-for-german-national
*****************************************

4 JUL 2017
From the Nigerian Tribune, a Nigerian newspaper, by way of Odili.net:

$8.4 million fraud: Ajudua granted permission to travel abroad for 
medical treatment

Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin - Lagos

Embattled Lagos socialite and businessman, Fred Ajudua, who allegedly 
defrauded a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi (Retd)of 
$8.4 million was on Monday granted leave to travel abroad for urgent 
medical treatment by an Ikeja High Court.

Ajudua's permission to travel was sequel to an application dated May 14, 
2017 filed by the defendant through his counsel, Norrison Quakers, seeking 
permission to travel abroad for an urgent medical surgery.

Ajudua is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on 
a 14-count charge bothering on obtaining, under pretence.

The defendant allegedly collected the money from Bamaiyi while the duo 
were in Kirikiri prison, Lagos.

However, while addressing the court on Monday, Quakers said that his client 
was grievously sick and needed an urgent medical surgery which ought to be 
performed outside the country as directed by his doctor.

Quakers said, "My Lord can tell by his appearance today in court that the 
defendant is seriously ill and that there is a medical report to buttress 
this fact."

"The application brought before your Lordship is to put the court on notice 
that we are about to travel for a medical examination."

"Your lordship will see the urgency in the affidavit of urgency attached 
to the motion including the original copy of the medical report from Lagos 
State Teaching Hospital, LUTH."

"My client was in LUTH and was transferred to India but the EFCC agents 
refused him going there. He has been complaining of a high blood pressure 
and blood in stool (hematochezia) which has been persistent since 2015."

"I even cautioned him not to be in court for today's trial because of the 
way he was looking but he insisted on coming in order not to give a wrong 
impression to the court."

Reacting to the application, the prosecution, S. A. Atteh, said that the 
application, if granted, has no date informing the court when the defendant 
is travelling or returning.

"I urge the court to reject the application since the defence gas not given 
any concrete or clear information regarding the type of surgery he intends 
to go for," Atteh said.

However, in her ruling, Justice Jisephine Oyefeso noted that one of the conditions 
of Ajudua’s bail stipulates that the defendant is to retain his international passport 
should in case the need arises for him to travel for medical treatment relating to 
his health.

She said, "On this ground, the defendant has no obligation to seek permission 
to travel since he has his international passport and could travel at will if 
he wants to."

"The most important thing is that the defendant must be present in court for 
trial. The application to travel is therefore unnecessary to notify the court."

The matter was further adjourned till July 13, 2017 for trial. 

Here is the URL of the article, which includes a photo of
Ajudua, for as long as it is good:
http://odili.net/news/source/2017/jul/4/608.html

419 Coalition Comment:  Given the preceding News item of 3 JUL 2017
(scroll down)  which states that Ajudua was refused permission to travel 
abroad for medical treatment, we don't know what to make of this conflicting 
report.

However, that "Fast Freddie" Ajudua,one of the most (if not THE most) 
infamous 419ers of all time, was Ever given bail for any reason, for 
any charge, is of course absurd.  That the man was ever allowed to retain 
his international passport, and ever allowed to travel abroad is simply
mind-boggling.  If any 419er deserves to rot in Kirikiri for the duration,
"medical problems" notwithstanding, it is Fred Ajudua.  If he really needs
medical care, let him get it locally, or fly in a Doc to take care of it
at his expense.  Hold him Without bail and revoke All his passports!
That's what 419 Coalition thinks about this matter......
**************************************

3 JUL 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC):

$8.4m Fraud: Court Refuses Ajudua’s Application To Travel Abroad For Medicals

Justice J. E. Oyefeso of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, on Monday, 
July 3, 2017, refused an application filed by an alleged serial fraudster, Fred 
Ajudua, to proceed on an urgent trip abroad for medical checks.

Ajudua was re-arraigned on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 on an amended 28-count charge 
bordering on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence.

Ajudua is facing trial alongside others who are still at large for allegedly 
collecting various sums of money from Lt. General Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd.), while 
they were both in custody at the Kirikiri Prison, Lagos.

The defendant and his accomplices allegedly approached Bamaiyi, who was facing 
trial for the attempted murder of Alex Ibru, the late Publisher of The Guardian 
Newspaper, and assured him that they could secure his freedom.

The offence is contrary to Section 8(a) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and 
Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 13 of 1995 as amended by Act No. 62 of 1999.

Moving the application today, Ajudua's counsel,  Norisson Quakers, SAN, prayed 
for an order of accelerated hearing to enable his client proceed on an urgent medical 
trip to India for a major surgery in consonance with the subsisting judgment of 
the Court of Appeal.

While urging the court to grant the application in the interest of justice, 
Quakers said:

"My client is critically ill and requires urgent specialized surgery in India 
to salvage his solitary malfunctioning kidney. He is not medically fit to stand 
trial."

S. K. Atteh, counsel to the EFCC, had in a counter-affidavit to the application, 
told the court that the supporting affidavit by the defence did not state that 
the medical conditions of defendant had defiled all medical solutions in Nigeria.

He said: "If the defendant is allowed to travel abroad or is obliged this application 
on the pretext of medical treatment, he will be sending fake reports of his medical 
state as he had done in the past".

He urged the court to refuse the application.

In his ruling, Justice Oyefeso described the application as "unnecessary" and 
adjourned to July 13, 2017 for commencement of trial.

In a similar vein, Justice Oyefeso also adjourned to October 16, 2017 for hearing 
on three pending applications filed by Ajudua in case of $1million fraud.

In the said suit, Ajudua and one Joseph Ochunor had, sometime in 1993, allegedly 
defrauded one Ziad Abu Zalaf of Technical International Limited, a company based 
in Germany of $1million.

The applicant is urging the court to quash the charges against him; suspend the 
trial pending the final judgment of the Court of Appeal and leave to travel abroad 
for medical checks.

Here is the URL of the Press Release, which contains a photo,
for as long as it is good: 
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2635-8-4m-fraud-court-refuses-ajudua-s-application-to-travel-abroad-for-medicals
*******************************************************

3 JUL 2017
From the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, sent in by Ultrascan AGI:

Scam artists in Southern China give money laundering a new meaning

Foreigners and local accomplice arrested in Guangzhou for duping woman 
of millions with promises of 'dyed dollar notes' back to real currency

The two foreigners, were are residents of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong 
province, were identified by their surnames Johnson and Dodo, although 
their nationalities were not revealed.

They convinced the victim, whom they met online, that they had a suitcase 
full of what looked like black paper but was actually US$1.4 million dollars 
worth of US banknotes that had been dyed black million and smuggled into China.

They offered to sell the special "chemical agents" to wash the dye off the money, 
local media reported.

The victim was a woman from Wuhan surnamed Li. She said that Johnson, who used 
the pseudonym "Anderson", demonstrated how the money was washed in front of her, 
according to Guangzhou’s New Express Daily.

Li said that during their meeting in a hotel room, Johnson applied the 
chemicals to some of the black paper, and washed them in clean water. 
Soon the paper turned into US dollar notes.

She said she believed she was looking after the money for an "American engineer" 
who was working on an offshore oil rig, and to whom she had lent money through 
the two men. The borrowed money plus a "bonus for her trouble" would be paid 
to her with converted cash.

She paid several times for a "recovering agent", "preservatives", "shipping 
fees and storage fees" and "incubators" over the following months, but did 
not receive any money. She then called the police.

The suspect repeated the trick in front of the police, and admitted they had 
processed and recovered genuine money in their first demonstration to Li, but 
the rest was just paper, the report said.

The case is still under investigation.

Here is the URL of the article, which includes several generic 
419 related illustrations, for as long as it is good:
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2101082/scam-artists-southern-china-give-money-laundering-new-meaning
*********************************************

2 JUL 2017
From The Sun Daily, Malaysia, and AFP News, sent in by
Ultrascan AGI:

Benin, a Ponzi scheme and a long wait for answers

COTONOU: Sadiatou used to be a well-off trader of traditional cloth 
at the market in Benin's economic hub of Cotonou but now sells school 
equipment from the doorstep of her home.

In 2010 she sank more than five million CFA francs (US$8,700) (RM37,357) 
into an investment scheme that promised a quick profit.

"It's a deposit I should never have made," she told AFP. "My business took 
a hit and my health as well. I've been depressed for a long time".

"I was counting on the savings I'd make to expand my business. But it was 
useless. All my money has gone."

Seven years after what was described as the biggest financial scandal in 
Benin's history was revealed, 20 people this week went on trial.

Sadiatou is one of nearly 150,000 people that the International Monetary 
Fund estimates were defrauded of more than 150 billion CFA francs in the 
Investment Consultancy and Computing Services (ICC Services) case.

Some estimates, however, say as many as 300,000 people were lured into 
parting with their hard-earned or borrowed cash and life-savings on the 
promise of 150% to 200% per quarter returns.

Ponzi scheme

Despite repeated warnings about investing in so-called pyramid or Ponzi 
schemes, such scams are becoming commonplace throughout Africa.

Frank Engelsman, who heads the Amsterdam- and Paris-based Ultrascan, which 
specialises in detecting international financial fraud, says such schemes 
are booming.

"First, because the infrastructure in big cities of Africa is improving rapidly, 
both phone as well as internet infrastructure - and that's what these fraudsters 
need."

"Second, because in those cities... police are not trained to handle internet 
international communication crimes that always cross a border between the fraudster 
and the victim."

In Gabon, a business run by a Pentecostal church pastor, Yves David Mapakou, 
allegedly swindled up to 30,000 French and Gabonese clients by promising profits 
on investments.

A complaint was lodged in Paris in August last year.

Africa's most populous nation Nigeria remains the undisputed champion of fraud, 
having assiduously developed "419" scams over the years - a reference to the 
relevant section of the criminal code.

Victims from around the world have been duped into handing over billions of dollars 
through a barrage of unsolicited email appeals and job offers as well as promises 
of marriage.

Engelsman said this type of fraud has "spread from Nigeria to neighbouring countries" 
in West Africa, taking advantage of the lack of capacity of law enforcement agencies 
to investigate.

"Like most bad things like crime, they tend to spread when not put to a halt, widen 
their scope to improve effect/income." he added.

Development can even play a part.

"It's easier when the infrastructure is good, in countries where also the chamber 
of commerce is registering companies easily and bank accounts are opened, based on 
one or more registrations," he added.

The Ponzi scheme in Benin – likened to the one run by Bernie Madoff in the United 
States that saw the financier jailed – involved paying initial investors with the 
money of new clients.

Textile worker Aline Aklassato said she had "no reason at all not to believe" 
the scheme would not work.

"Colleagues and friends had made deposits and received dividends," she added.

"I got dividends myself for two months of 300,000 CFA francs before the difficulties 
started."

Criminal liability

As the case wound its way to trial, few of the alleged victims were able to 
attend court hearings.

The current trial will only look at establishing criminal liability. But for 
salesman Leandros Koudenoukpo, "the key question is reimbursement".

Benin's government in 2010 launched a compensation scheme for victims through 
the sale of assets seized from ICC Services. But only a few benefited.

The 20 defendants in the dock are facing charges of conspiracy, defrauding the public 
and practising illegal banking and micro-finance.

Key questions that need answering are how were ICC Services and other firms involved 
are able to prosper over the years, despite having no authorisation to run financial 
services. Did they have state backing?

Benin's president at the time, former banker Thomas Boni Yayi, and several 
high-ranking officials were at the time accused of complicity but none is 
officially under investigation.

Seven years may have passed and Benin's government has changed. But more time is 
still needed for a resolution.

The trial opened on Thursday but on Friday it was adjourned to a date to be fixed 
because of a lack of an expert psychiatric witness and documents. - AFP

Here is the URL of the article, for as long as it is good:
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/2017/07/02/benin-ponzi-scheme-and-long-wait-answers

The article was also widely reprinted etc. elsewehere, including:

North Africa:
http://menafn.com/1095590282/Benin-a-Ponzi-scheme-and-a-long-wait-for-answers

Singapore:
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/benin-ponzi-scheme-long-wait-answers-035101004.html

And in French Language:
http://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/nouveau-report-du-proces-icc-services-l-affaire-madoff-la-beninoise-178369
*******************************************

30 JUN 2017
From the International Business Times (UK), sent in by
Ultrascan AGI:

Ruthless online romance scams target lonely hearts on an industrial scale

Online scammers are using fake profiles to trick victims into sending cash.

By Jason Murdock

Online fraudsters using fake identities on dating websites and social 
media networks to trick victims out of their money has become a lucrative 
underground industry and is only set to grow over the next 18 months.

The fraud, known as a romance scam, is being bolstered by leaks from major 
dating and pornography websites which can reveal a victim's intimate secrets, 
according to the UK National Crime Agency (NCA). Data breaches, for example 
at Ashley Madison and AdultFriendFinder, can lead to blackmail and extortion, 
it added.

It is "almost certain" that the UK will be targeted with more romance scams 
and highly targeted email compromise campaigns over the next 18 months, the 
agency warned in its National Strategic Assessment, released to the public 
on Thursday 29 June.

"Social engineering is highly likely to continue to rise as an attack vector, 
originating most notably from West Africa," it added.

In these social engineering attacks, which often rely on direct messages 
and grooming tactics, victims believe they are talking to a genuine person.

How romance scams work

The online fraudster orchestrating a romance scam plays the long game and 
will work to earn the trust of their victim over time. Once this is gained, 
the culprit pretends to experience a life-threatening or heartbreaking event 
before asking the victim for financial aid.

Once a payment is sent, the scheme then becomes more relentless as the scammer 
attempts to bleed as much money as possible by creating more fake situations -
be it the death of a loved one or being stranded in a foreign country after 
being robbed. The statistics show it works.

Figures released in January by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau revealed 
there were 3,389 victims of romance fraud in 2016, losing a combined total of 
more than UK Pounds 39m ($50m).

This was a rise from the previous year, when 3,363 victims lost a total of just 
under UK Pounds 26m ($33m). Meanwhile, in 2016, the average loss for each victim 
was 11,500 Pounds compared with 7,731 Pounds in 2015. At least 39% of those who 
were tricked are men, the figures suggested.

The victims are mounting

There are numerous victims who have spoken out about being fooled by romance 
scams over the years - and for some the personal consequences are more severe 
that financial ruin.

In March this year, 54-year-old Pam Wareing was taken to court after allegedly 
stealing more than 500,000 Pounds from her employer, a UK solicitor, to send 
to a conman she met online. That case was referred to a higher court and remains 
under investigation.

Another high-profile case was that of 68-year-old Judith Lathlean, a university 
professor who fell victim to a romance scam in 2015 via an online dating website. 
Lathlean lost a total of 140,000 Pounds after a man using the name John Porter 
online convinced her to send it to him.

"Porter" claimed his house had been broken into, resulting in the loss of his 
passport and phone. He claimed to have a vast fortune of 10m Pounds that was 
suddenly available but only if someone could go to Amsterdam and pay a fee to 
release the money. It was a complex web of lies.

"A lot of the online dating fraudsters we know are abroad," Steve Proffitt, 
deputy head of Action Fraud, told the BBC earlier this year. They're in West 
Africa, Eastern Europe and it's very difficult for British law enforcement 
to take action against them in those jurisdictions."

Luckily, there are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself from 
romance scams, as well as a number of key signs to look out for if you are 
suspicious of someone online. The advice comes courtesy of Action Fraud, the 
primary UK reporting centre for scams and cybercrime.

How to protect yourself:

Avoid giving away too many personal details when dating online. Revealing 
your full name, date of birth and home address may lead to your identity being 
stolen.

Never send or receive money or give away your bank details to someone you've 
only met online, no matter how much you trust them or believe their story.

Pick a reputable dating website and use the site's messaging service. 
Fraudsters want to quickly switch to social media or texting so there's no 
evidence of them asking you for money.

If you have struck up a relationship with someone online, you should be 
concerned if they are asking a lot of personal questions but never interested 
in talking about themselves, Action Fraud said. Additionally, it is advised 
to reverse image search their picture to make sure it's not stolen.

"What is striking from this year's assessment are the themes running through 
the crime types," NCA deputy director general Matthew Horne said in a statement 
at the release of the report. "Organised criminal networks are using online 
methods to defraud and extort," he warned.

Here is the URL of the article, for as long as it is good:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ruthless-online-romance-scams-target-lonely-hearts-industrial-scale-1628494
********************************************

23 JUN 2017
From Graphic.com, Ghana:

An Ikeja High Court on Thursday remanded an American citizen, Marco Ramirez, 
at Kirikiri Maximum Prison for allegedly defrauding three Nigerians in a 
$565,000 green card and investment scam. 

Mr. Ramirez was remanded following his not-guilty plea to a 16-count charge 
of obtaining money under false presences. He was arraigned by the EFCC.

The EFCC prosecutor, V. O. Aigboje, alleged that the accused, managing director 
of three companies – USA Now Plc., Eagleford Instalodge Group and USA Now Capital 
Group – committed the offences between February 2013 and August 2013.

Mr. Aigboje said Mr. Ramirez fraudulently received $545,000 from Godson Echejue 
to invest in his company, Eagleford Instalodge Group, in order to procure an American 
green card (residence permit) for him (Echejue).

He also allegedly received $10,000 from Abubakar Umar through a non-existent 
investment programme in the U.S., which was billed to make Mr. Umar eligible 
to obtain an American passport.

The EFCC also accused Mr. Ramirez of illegally receiving $10,000 from one Olukayode 
Sodimu under the pretext that the funds were facilitation fees with the American 
Immigration Services for an American green card. .

After Mr. Ramirez took his plea, Mr. Aigboje requested that he be taken from the 
custody of EFCC to prison custody. "There are no bed spaces available in the commission. 
I apply that the defendant be remanded in prison custody," she said. .

Chukwudi Maduka, the defence counsel, in his submission, requested that Mr. Ramirez 
be kept in the custody of EFCC and not in the custody of the Nigerian Prison Service.

Justice Josephine Oyefeso, however, rejected Mr. Maduka’s request and ordered that 
Mr. Ramirez be remanded in prison. "The proper place for remand is prison custody 
and I so order. The case is, hereby, adjourned to July 3 for hearing of the defendant's 
bail application," she said.

Credit: Vanguard (a major Nigerian newspaper)

Here is the URL of the article, for as long as it is good:
http://www.graphic.com.gh/international/international-news/american-man-remanded-in-lagos-for-defrauding-nigerians.html
**********************************************

22 JUN 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arraigns Impostor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has  arraigned 
one  Promise Tochi Nwalozie (a. k. a Ibrahim Lamorde) and Ohaji Ujunwa 
Raymond, before Justice H. I. O Oshomah of the Federal High Court, 
sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on a 9-count charge bordering 
on conspiracy and obtaining money by false presence to the tune of 
$1,330.00 (USD).

Nwalozie, while  posing as the former Executive Chairman of the EFCC, 
Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, was arrested alongside six other Internet fraud 
suspects at Rumuagholu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on 6 August, 2016, 
in a sting operation by operatives of the EFCC.

Nwalozie was using the identity of Lamorde to send scam mails to 
foreigners, mostly Europeans and Americans and in the process, 
extorted sizeable amount of foreign currencies from them. His 
weapon of fraudulent interaction with his victims was a fake 
electronic copy of the identity card of the former EFCC boss.  
He equally assumed another name, Gabriel Giese, to ply his 
nefarious activities. This is in addition to posing as Barrister 
Peter Jackson, a spurious lawyer working with the National 
Judicial Council, NJC in Nigeria. As a "lawyer", he was defrauding 
his victims by assuring them that he would help in the recovery 
of money lost to different Nigerian cyber fraudsters. To do this, 
Jackson was collecting various sums of money as service charges 
from his victims.  Some of his victims are: Betty G. E, an American 
and Georgina M, an Australian. Raymond was one of his partners in crime.

Six other suspected fraudsters arrested with Nwalozie have been 
charged separately.

Count one of the charge read: "that you Promise Tochi Nwalozie (a. k. a) 
Barrister Peter Jackson, Gebriel Giese, Ibrahim Lamorde and  Ohaji Ujunwa 
Raymond sometime in July, 2016, at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within 
the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire among yourselves 
to commit felony to wit: Obtaining Money by False Pretence and thereby 
committed an offence contrary to Section 8 (a) and punishable under 
Section 1 (3) of the of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related 
Offences Act, 2006."

Another count read: "that you Promise Tochi Nwalozie (a. k. a) Barrister 
Peter Jackson, Gebriel Giese, Ibrahim Lamorde, on or about the 6th August, 
2016, at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this 
Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of $500.00 
(USD) from one Georgina M, an Australian  under the pretence that the 
said sum formed part payment for the repatriation of her funds which s
he lost to fraudsters in Nigeria, which pretext you knew to be false, 
and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the 
Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable 
under Section 1 (3) of the said Act".

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read 
to them.

In view of their pleas,  prosecution counsel, Mustapha Tanko Iko asked 
the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial and that the defendants  
be remanded in prison custody. However, counsel to the two defendants,  
P. O. K. Osuji, told the court that he had filed  bail applications for 
his clients and served same on the prosecution. He urged the court to grant 
his prayers. Iko acknowledged the applications and did not oppose them.

Justice Oshomah adjourned the case to 6 July, 2017 for bail hearing and 
ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison custody pending the 
determination of their bail.

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes a photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2615-efcc-arraigns-impostor
**********************************

21 JUN 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

Court Remands Two in Prison For Internet Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, 
June 21, 2017, arraigned one suspected Internet fraudster, Folusho 
Oguntoyinbo, also known as Sydney, before Justice Hakeem Olatunde 
Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on a three-count 
charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents and obtaining 
money by false pretence to the tune of N700, 000(Seven Hundred T
housand Naira).

One of the counts reads: "That you, Folusho Oguntoyinbo (a.k.a. Sydney) 
sometime in 2016 in Lagos within the Ikeja judicial division, with intent 
to defraud, obtained the sum of Seven Hundred Thousand Naira from Roy 
Torgerson by falsely representing to him that you were Sydney A., female, 
which representations you knew to be false."

The 31-year-old suspected fraudster, however, pleaded not guilty when 
the charges were read to him.

In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, Ayanfeoluwa Ogunsina, 
asked the court for a trial date and pleaded that the accused be 
remanded in prison custody.

However, the defence counsel, M.O. Lawal, told the court of a pending 
application for bail of his client.

Justice Oshodi adjourned the matter to July 13, 2017 for hearing of the 
bail application and ordered the accused to be remanded in prison custody.

Meanwhile, the EFCC also arraigned a member of a syndicate of Internet 
fraudsters, Ojo Adedayo, a.k.a. Kate, before Justice Oshodi on a three-count 
charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents.

One of the counts reads: "That you, Ojo Adedayo (a.k.a. Kate) sometime 
in 2016 in Lagos within the Ikeja judicial division, with intent to defraud, 
had in your possession a document titled "Me", which document you knew 
contained false pretence."

However, the 22-year-old suspect pleaded not guilty when the charges were 
read to him.

Justice Oshodi adjourned the matter to July 13, 2017 for hearing of the 
bail application and remanded the suspect in prison custody.

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes a photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2613-court-remands-two-in-prison-for-internet-fraud
************************************

2 MAY 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arraigns Two for Euro 88, 000 Internet Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, 
May 2, 2017 arraigned the duo of Ajani Isaac Adedotun, (a.k.a. 
Clara Williams and Lara Williams) and Adesina Segun Adedeji before 
Justice A.D. Oladimeji of the Osun State High Court sitting in Ede, 
on a 50-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money 
by false pretence.

The petitioner alleged that the victim, M. Wassink, a Dutch citizen, 
was defrauded of over Euro 88,000 in an Internet romance scam.

One of the counts reads: "Ajani Isaac Adedotun (a.k.a Clara Williams, 
Lara Williams) and Adesina Segun Adedeji, on or about the 5th day of 
March, 2014 at Ile Ife, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, 
with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of €23,000 (Twenty-three Thousand 
Euro) through Adesina Segun Adedeji's Skye Bank account from M. Wassink, 
under the false pretence that you are a female from Belgium and had 
travelled to Nigeria to buy some gemstones and bracelets and that the 
said sum of money represented fees for the officials securing the gemstones 
for you, which representation you knew to be false."

The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they 
were read to them.

In view of their pleas, the prosecuting counsel, Vera Agboje, asked the 
court for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the accused in 
prison custody.

However, counsel to the accused persons, Sanyaolu S. Akinyele and T. S. 
Adegboyega, respectively prayed the court to grant their clients bail.

Justice Oladimeji adjourned the case to May 16, 2017 for hearing of the 
bail applications and ordered the accused to be remanded in Ilesa prison 
custody.

Here is the URL of the press release, for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2502-efcc-arraigns-two-for-88-000-internet-scam
******************************************

18 APR 2017
From Nigeriana.org (probebly based in Nigeria, this is not clear
on the site):

Oh My!! Nigerian Husband And Wife, 'The Ogundeles', Sentenced To 252 
Months Jail Term In The United States For Internet Dating Scam!!

By Mathew

According to report from United States, a United States District Judge, Paul W. Grimm 
has sentenced Gbenga Ogundele aka Benson Ogundele, age 58; of Laurel, Maryland to 234 
months in prison, and sentenced his wife, Moji Popoola, aka Mojisola Oluwakemi Tin 
Popoola/Moji T. Popoola, age 42, also of Laurel, to 18 months in prison, each followed 
by three years of supervised release.

They were jailed for conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering arising 
from a scheme to defraud vulnerable victims of millions of dollars. Ogundele was also 
convicted of aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme.

Judge Grimm ordered that Mojisola Popoola's supervised release is to be served in 
home detention. He also ordered Ogundele to forfeit $2,195,103.36, and ordered 
Mojisola Popoola to forfeit approximately $165,000 and to pay restitution of $34,100. 

On March 20, 2017, Judge Grimm sentenced Moji Popoola's brother, Babatunde Emmanuel 
Popoola, aka Emmanuel Popoola/Tunde Popoola, age 34, of Bowie, Maryland, to 12 years 
in prison, on the same charges.

He ordered Babatunde Popoola to pay restitution of $465,170.76. Ogundele and the 
Popoolas were convicted on November 18, 2016, after a 17-day trial.

In a related case, Funmilayo Joyce Shodeke, age 67, of Burtonsville, Maryland, 
pleaded guilty on March 22, 2017 to conducting an unlicensed money transmitting 
business, and was sentenced to 13 months’ probation, and ordered to forfeit $29,900.

The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland 
Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau 
of Investigation. 

According to the evidence presented at trial, and co-conspirators’ plea agreements, 
from January 2011 to May 18, 2015, members of the conspiracy searched online dating 
websites to initiate romantic relationships with vulnerable male and female individuals.

They phoned, emailed, texted and used internet chat messenger services to form 
romantic relationships with the victims, who lived in Maryland and around the country.

Members of the conspiracy used false stories and promises to convince the victims 
to provide money to the conspirators, including fake hospital bills, plane trips 
to visit the victims, problems with overseas businesses and foreign taxes.

Ogundele, the Popoolas, co-conspirators Olusegun Charles Ogunseye, Olufemi Wilfred 
Williams, Adeyinka Olubunmi Awolaja and others opened bank accounts, called "drop 
accounts," in order to receive millions of dollars from the victims.

The victims provided money to the defendants as a result of the false stories and 
promises, either depositing money directly into drop accounts controlled by the 
defendants, or by checks sent to the conspirators.

The payments from victims ranged from $1,720 to $50,000. Ogundele, Babatunde Popoola, 
and others used victims' names, bank account numbers or driver’s licenses in furtherance 
of the fraud scheme.

Ogundele, the Popoolas, Ogunseye, Williams, Awolaja and their co-conspirators dispersed 
money received from the victims by transferring funds to other accounts controlled by 
the conspirators, by obtaining cashier’s checks, and by writing checks to individuals 
or entities, in order to conceal the nature, source, and control of those assets.

Co-conspirator Victor Oyewumi Oloyede, age 42, of Laurel, Maryland, was also convicted 
at trial for his role in the fraud scheme. Oloyede was sentenced to 234 months in prison.

Co-conspirators Olusegun Charles Ogunseye, age 59 of Laurel, Maryland, Olufemi Wilfred 
Williams, age 28, of Owings Mills, Maryland, and Adeyinka Olubunmi Awolaja, Jr., age 34, 
of New Carollton, Maryland, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Judge Grimm scheduled sentencing for Awolaja on June 12, 2017, for Ogunseye on July 25, 
2017, and for Williams on July 27, 2017, all at 2:30 p.m.

The Maryland Identity Theft Working Group has been working since 2006 to foster 
cooperation among local, state, federal, and institutional fraud investigators 
and to promote effective prosecution of identity theft schemes by both state 
and federal prosecutors.

This case, as well as other cases brought by members of the Working Group, demonstrates 
the commitment of law enforcement agencies to work with financial institutions and 
businesses to address identity fraud, identify those who compromise personal identity 
information, and protect citizens from identity theft.

The conviction is part of the efforts undertaken in connection with the US President's 
Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established to wage an aggressive, coordinated 
and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.

With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys' offices, and state and local 
partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory 
agencies ever assembled to combat fraud.

Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased 
investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation 
among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and 
financial markets; and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions 
and other organizations.

Since fiscal year 2009, the Justice Department has filed over 18,000 financial fraud 
cases against more than 25,000 defendants.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI for its work in the 
investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Windom, who is 
prosecuting the case. 
 
Here is the URL of the article, which includes lots of
photos, for as long as it is good:
http://nigeriana.org/news/metro-news/oh-nigerian-husband-wife-ogundeles-sentenced-252-months-jail-term-united-states-internet-dating-scam/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
************************************************

10 APR 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arraigns Alleged Female Internet Fraudster for Euro 132,000 Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, April 7, 2017 
arraigned one Suzan Vega Ochuko before Justice P. I. Ajoku of the Federal High 
Court sitting in Benin, Edo State on a three count charge bordering on conspiracy 
and obtaining by false pretence.

The defendant and one Tony Uyimwen also known as Alex Ethan (now at large) 
allegedly operating with a pseudo name Alex Ethan contacted one Mrs. Beatrice 
AUF DER MAUR from St. Gallen, Switzerland via Facebook and defrauded her of 
Euro 132,000 (One Hundred and Thirty-Two Thousand Euro).
 
Maur was allegedly hoodwinked into a love relationship with the defendant 
who subsequently defrauded her of the said amount under the pretence of 
executing a non-existent contract.
 
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.
 
One of the Counts reads: 

"That you, Suzan Vega Ochuko "F" and Tony Uyimwen "M" (a.k.a) Alex Ethan 
(now at large) on or about the 11th of March, 2016 at Benin, Edo State 
within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud when 
you made a false representation that you are Alex Ethan to one Mrs. Beatrice 
AUF DER MAUR and obtained the sum of 65, 000.00 (Euro), account number: 
2024290579 of one Collins Peter which pretext you knew was false and thereby 
committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud 
and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) 
of the same Act."
 
Another count reads: 

"That you, Suzan Vega Ochuko "F" and Tony Uyimwen "M" (a.k.a) Alex Ethan 
(now at large) on or about the 18th of March, 2016 at Benin, Edo State within 
the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud did obtain 
the sum of 67, 000.00 (Euro) under false pretence from one Mrs. Beatrice 
AUF DER MAUR account number: 2022547286 which pretext you knew was false 
and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance 
Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 
1 (3) of the same Act."
  
In view of her plea, counsel to EFCC, M. T. Iko asked the court to fix a 
date for commencement of trial. The defence counsel, Ekhator Ogiegbaen told 
the court that he had a pending bail application for his client. He pleaded 
with the court to grant his client bail as she will not jump bail and that 
the defendant was a nursing mother.
 
Though the prosecuting counsel opposed the bail, Justice Ajoku granted the 
defendant bail in the sum of N 1 million with two sureties in like sum. The 
sureties must be civil servant not below grade level 12 or two sureties 
with landed property within the jurisdiction of the court. The sureties 
must deposit original title of their document with the court while the 
civil servant must produce an official letter from his superior from his 
office. The documents are to be verified by the prosecution.
 
The matter has been adjourned to the June 14, 2017 for trial while the 
defendant is to be remanded in prison custody pending the perfection 
of her bail.

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes a photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2460-efcc-arraigns-alleged-female-internet-fraudster-for-132-000-fraud
*********************************************

5 APR 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Smashes Notorious 419 Syndicate, Recovers fake $570,000USD

The Kaduna Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, 
EFCC have arrested members of a notorious syndicate of fraudsters made 
of four Nigerians and one Nigerien who specialise in duping innocent 
persons of their hard earned monies. Those arrested are Salisu Rabiu, 
a.k.a Maimagani; Ibrahim Idris, a.k.a Dankano; Magaji Musa (Nigerien) 
a.k.a Maishayi; Haruna Abdullahi,a.k.a Balogun and Abubakar Umar,
a.k.a Fulani.

The suspects were arrested in a bush along Sabon Gari, Kurmin Kogi, 
Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna state. A search of their hide out 
which is suspected to be a kidnappers' den led to the startling discovery 
of a sum of five hundred and seventy thousand ($570,000) fake US dollars 
and some charms.
 
The five man gang met their waterloo when they conspired among themselves 
to lure an unsuspecting victim into believing that some unclaimed boxes 
containing huge amount of USD were kept with some herdsmen believed to 
be accomplices by an unidentified politician.
 
Doubtful of the story, the would-be victim contacted the Commission.
 
The operatives of the Commission upon receipt of the intelligence swung 
into action and arrested the gang members in their hideouts.

All the suspects are in custody while investigation continues.
 
The Commission wishes to use this opportunity to warn members of the public 
to be wary of any get-rich-quick offer in order not to be a victim of scam. 
However, those who had fallen victim to the nefarious activities of this 
syndicate are enjoined to report to the Commission’s office located at 
No.4 Wurno Road Kaduna State. 

Here s the URL of the press release for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2447-efcc-smashes-notorious-419-syndicate-recovers-fake-570-000usd

419 Coalition Comment:  We hope that the recovered $570K is promptly
repatriated to victims of this 419 syndicate.
***************************************************

31 MAR 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

Internet Fraudster Bags Two Year Imprisonment

Justice P. I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Benin City on Thursday 
March 30, convicted and sentenced one Obinna Nnamdi, an internet fraudster 
to two years imprisonment for offences bordering on conspiracy and obtaining 
by false pretence.

The convict who was arraigned on February 19, 2013 on a two count charge 
was found guilty on both counts and sentenced to two years imprisonment on 
each of the count. The sentences are to run concurrently.

One of the counts reads: "That you, Nnamdi Obinna and Dennis Osagie {now 
at large} on or about October 2012, at Benin City under the jurisdiction 
of this honourable court, with  intent to defraud did obtain the sum of one 
thousand five hundred euros from one Helena Anderson under the false pretence 
that you are Christer Kelly, a British citizen, and thereby committed an offence 
contrary to section 1(1) (a)of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences 
Act, 2006 and punishable under Section1 (3) of the said Act".

In the course of trial, the Commission called two witnesses and tendered about 
15 exhibits while the defence called only one witness.

Justice Ajoku in her judgment held that the Commission proved its case beyond 
reasonable doubt and therefore convicted the accused accordingly.

The convict is one of the several suspected internet fraudsters handed over 
to the Commission by  the 4th Brigade of  the Nigeria Army, Benin City on 
January 22, 2013. Two others suspects, Osagie Aghedo Bliss and Amegor 
Ovenseri had been convicted and sentenced by the court.

Here is the URL of the article for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2434-internet-fraudster-bags-two-year-imprisonment
***************************************

27 MAR 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Docks Suspected Internet Fraudster

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on March 27, 
2017, arraigned one Gbenga Yusuf John, a suspected Internet fraudster,  
before Justice A. M. Nicol-Clay of the State High Court sitting in 
Igbosere, Lagos on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and 
forgery.

The accused person, while posing as an American working in Nigeria,  
conned a U.S. lady whom he met on a dating site by claiming that he 
owned a number of rental properties in Southwest Florida,  USA.

Upon their meeting, the accused person allegedly told the victim that 
he was currently in Africa to give aid to victims of Ebola disease and 
sought her  assistance in managing his rental deposit while he was away.

Consequently, the victim allegedly processed the rental deposits and  
received thousand of dollars in postal money order mailed directly 
to her by the accused person.

The unsuspecting victim allegedly deposited all the cheques, acquire 
cash and then transferred the funds through Western Union to Yusuf.

One of the counts reads: "Gbenga Yusuf John on or about the 26th day 
of February, 2006 in Lagos within the Lagos Judicial Division, had in 
your possession a document dated Tuesday, February 3, 2015 in which 
you represented yourself as James Carter, born and raised in United 
State of America but presently reside in Nigeria where you are doing 
electronic business which representation you knew or ought to have 
known to be false having regard to the circumstances of this case."

The accused person pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, M.Aliyu, asked the court 
for a trial date and prayed that the accused person be remanded in  
prison custody.

However, counsel to the accused, S.O. Obaje, who did object to the 
submissions of the prosecution, pleaded with the court for a short date 
to file his application for bail.

After listening to both parties,  Justice Nicol-Clay remanded the accused 
person in prison custody and adjourned the matter to June 20, 2017 for 
hearing of the bail application and the continuation of trial.

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes a photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2415-efcc-docks-suspected-internet-fraudster
********************************************
                                        
17 MAR 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

Man Bags Six Years Jail Term For N7.8m love Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, 
March 17,  2017, secured the conviction and sentencing of an Internet 
fraudster, Akintunde Vincent Abiodun, a.k.a. Christopher Williams, 
before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.

The 37-year-old was arraigned on January 23, 2017 on an amended 12-count 
charge of stealing and forgery to the tune of N7, 806, 093.00(Seven Million, 
Eight Hundred and Six Thousand, and Ninety Three Naira).

Abiodun's walk to jail began after he presented himself as Christopher 
Williams to his victim, D. Bonni, whom he met on a dating site on the 
Internet.

The convict, as part of his tricks, had told to Bonni that he inherited 
gemstones worth $18, 050,000((Eighteen Million and Fifty Thousand United 
States Dollars) from his late father in the United Kingdom.

He also forged an American passport with which he convinced his victim 
of his purported nationality.

Consequently, the convict dishonestly received various sums of money, 
at different times, from his victim.

When he was arraigned, he pleaded not guilty to the charges when they 
were read to him, thereby setting the stage for his trial.

The prosecution counsel, Ola Sesan, tendered several documents that were 
admitted in evidence and presented witnesses who testified against the accused.

In view of this, the convict later filed an application for plea bargaining 
before the court.

Delivering his judgment today, Justice Ipaye, found the convit guilty and 
jailed three years each on counts 1 to 11 of stealing.

The convict was also found guilty and jailed three years each on count 
12 of forgery.

The sentences are to run separately from the date of arraignment.

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes a photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2401-man-bags-six-years-jail-term-for-n7-8m-love-scam
***************************************

14 MAR 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arraigns Four for $10, 000 Oil Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, 
March 13, 2017 arraigned the trio of Emmanuel Onubogu, Onyeka 
Godday and Mamudu Musa alongside their company, Zirconafrik 
Limited, before Justice O. A. Taiwo of the Lagos State High 
Court sitting in Igbosere, Lagos on a two-count charge bordering 
on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of 
$10, 000.00 (Ten Thousand United States Dollars).

The defendants allegedly approached the complainant, Adewale Olaiya, 
requesting the sum of $10, 000, which they said they needed  as "authentication 
fee" for one million barrels of crude oil purportedly allocated to them by 
the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

However, the defendants allegedly became elusive after receiving the 
money from the complainant.

One of the counts reads:

"That you, Emmanuel Onubogu, Onyeka Godday, Mamudu Musa and Zirconafrik 
Limited sometime in November, 2013 within Lagos in the Lagos Judicial 
Division, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of USD10, 000.00 
(Ten Thousand United States Dollars) from Mr. Adewale Olaiya through 
Zirconafrik Limited’s Guarantee Trust Bank account number: 0023950101 
under the false pretence that the money represented the authentication 
fee for one million barrels of crude oil onboard MT Patroclus allocated 
to you for sale by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) 
which pretence you knew was false."

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they 
were read to them.

In view of their plea, counsel to EFCC, M. S. Usman, asked the court 
for a trial date and urged that the defendants be remanded in prison custody.

However, counsels to the defendants, pleaded with the court to grant their 
clients bail.

The prosecuting counsel did not oppose the applications.

Consequently, Justice Taiwo adjourned to March 22, 2017 for hearing on 
bail applications and ordered the defendants to be remanded in the EFCC 
custody.

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes a photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2391-efcc-arraigns-four-for-10-000-oil-scam
****************************************

14 MAR 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC:

EFCC Arraigns Man for $3,650 Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, 
March 13, 2017 arraigned one Iwuala  Ikechukwu Brown before Justice 
J. O. Oyefeso of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos 
on one-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence to 
the tune of $3,650.

The count reads:

"That you, Iwuala Ikechukwu Brown, between August, 2013 and November 
23, 2013 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to 
defraud, did obtain the gross sum of $3,650 (Three Thousand Six Hundred 
and Fifty United States of America Dollars) from Thomas Noblin of the 
United States of America by falsely representing that you are David 
Walter of Oregon, United States of America, which representation you 
knew to be false."

He pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him.

In view of his plea, counsel to EFCC, Anita Imo, asked the court for a 
trial date and prayed that the defendant be remanded in prison custody.

However, counsel to the defendant, U. C. Chikelue, urged the court to 
grant the accused bail.

Justice Oyefeso adjourned to April 11, 2017 for commencement of trial 
and ordered that the defendant be remanded in Ikoyi prison.

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes a photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2390-efcc-arraigns-man-for-3-650-fraud
********************************************

1 MAR 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arraigns Suspected Fraudster Over N2.5m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, March 1, 
2017 arraigned one Abdulkarim Usman before Justice S. L. Shuaibu of Federal 
High Court sitting in Kaduna on a 3-count charge of fraud to the tune of 
N2.5million.

The complainant, one Mukhtar, alleged that sometime in 2016, he accosted 
Usman to order for Honda V6 from Cotonou, Benin Republic.

According to Mukhtar, a sum of N2million was transferred to the account of 
Usman in a new generation bank, which the accused acknowledged upon receipt. 
But, Usman neither supplied the car nor refunded the money.

While investigation into the matter was going on, another complaint was 
again lodged against same Usman. This time, he allegedly connived with his 
brother, Inusa Abdulkarim, who has remained elusive, to defraud one Taufiq 
Kailani Mohammed to the tune of N593,000 (five hundred and ninety three 
thousand naira) under the pretext that he had secured a contract from the 
Nigeria Communication Commission, NCC, for supply of engine oil. Mohammed, 
without doubt, sent the said sum to Usman through one of his sisters, but l
ater discovered that it was a phony deal.

One of the counts reads:

"That you, Abdulkarim Usman (m) sometime in 2016 in Kaduna within the Kaduna 
Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, with intent to defraud did obtain 
the sum of N2million from one Muktar Sani under the false pretence that you 
are capable to supply him with Honda V6 one door and you thereby committed 
an offence contrary to Section 1 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other 
Related Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act".

The accused person pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Counsel to EFCC, Saidi Joshua, urged the court to fix a date for trial 
to commence, but the defence counsel through an oral application asked 
for bail of the accused which was rejected by the court.

Justice Shuaibu adjourned to March 8, 2017 for hearing on bail application 
and ordered the accused to be remanded in prison custody.

Here is the URL of the press release, which contains a photo, 
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2363-efcc-arraigns-suspected-fraudster-over-n2-5m-fraud
****************************************

27 FEB 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

$330,000 Fraud: Appeal Court Affirms Conviction of Ex-Lagos 
Court’s Registrar, Oluronke Rosolu

The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal has dismissed an application 
filed by a former Lagos court registrar, Oluronke Rosulu, who was sentenced 
to 10 years imprisonment by an Ikeja High Court for defrauding a former 
Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi( retd.) of $330,000.

Rosolu had been convicted by Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of the Lagos 
High Court, Ikeja on the two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining 
money by false pretences brought against her by the Economic and 
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on December 21, 2015.

Consequently, the appellant, through her lawyer  filed a notice of appeal 
on December 30, 2015, challenging  her conviction.

However, in a judgement delivered today, the Court of Appeal dismissed her 
appeal and affirmed the decision of the lower court.

Rosulu had aided Fred Ajudua, a one-time Lagos socialite, to defraud Bamiayi 
when they were both remanded at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Lagos for different 
offences.

The prosecution had told Justice Lawal-Akapo that Ajudua made a false 
representation to Bamaiyi that the $330,000 was the professional fees for 
the law firm of Afe Babalola and Co. to facilitate Bamaiyi’s release 
from prison, a claim which the firm denied.

During the trial, Rosulu had denied going to the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons 
or knowing Ajudua.

However, counsel to the prosecution presented a number of witnesses who 
testified that Rosulu went to the prison on different occasions to collect 
the money from Bamaiyi on behalf of Ajudua.

While delivering her judgement, Justice Lawal-Akapo had said:  "The representation 
that she never collected $330,000 from the complainant is deceptive; the accused 
could not provide a strong alibi for her whereabouts when the fraud occurred."

"I find the accused guilty as charged.  As a registrar of court, the accused 
should have been an image maker of the judiciary, but she acted in the contrary."

"On count one, I sentence the accused to 10 years imprisonment and on count two 
I sentence the accused to 10 years imprisonment."

"Both sentences are to run concurrently."

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes
a photo, for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2352-330-000-fraud-appeal-court-affirms-conviction-of-ex-lagos-court-s-registrar-oluronke-rosolu
***************************************************

24 FEB 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

$330,000 Fraud: Appeal Court Affirms Conviction of Ex-Lagos Court's 
Registrar, Oluronke Rosolu

The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal has dismissed an application 
filed by a former Lagos court registrar, Oluronke Rosulu, who was sentenced 
to 10 years imprisonment by an Ikeja High Court for defrauding a former 
Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi( retd.) of $330,000.

Rosolu had been convicted by Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of the Lagos High 
Court, Ikeja on the two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by 
false pretences brought against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes 
Commission, EFCC, on December 21, 2015.

Consequently, the appellant, through her lawyer  filed a notice of appeal 
on December 30, 2015, challenging  her conviction.

However, in a judgement delivered today, the Court of Appeal dismissed her 
appeal and affirmed the decision of the lower court.

Rosulu had aided Fred Ajudua, a one-time Lagos socialite, to defraud Bamiayi 
when they were both remanded at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Lagos for different 
offences.

The prosecution had told Justice Lawal-Akapo that Ajudua made a false 
representation to Bamaiyi that the $330,000 was the professional fees for 
the law firm of Afe Babalola and Co. to facilitate Bamaiyi’s release from 
prison, a claim which the firm denied.

During the trial, Rosulu had denied going to the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons 
or knowing Ajudua.

However, counsel to the prosecution presented a number of witnesses who 
testified that Rosulu went to the prison on different occasions to collect 
the money from Bamaiyi on behalf of Ajudua.

While delivering her judgement, Justice Lawal-Akapo had said:  "The representation 
that she never collected $330,000 from the complainant is deceptive; the accused 
could not provide a strong alibi for her whereabouts when the fraud occurred."

"I find the accused guilty as charged.  As a registrar of court, the accused 
should have been an image maker of the judiciary, but she acted in the contrary."

"On count one, I sentence the accused to 10 years imprisonment and on count two I 
sentence the accused to 10 years imprisonment."

"Both sentences are to run concurrently."

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes a photo,
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2352-330-000-fraud-appeal-court-affirms-conviction-of-ex-lagos-court-s-registrar-oluronke-rosolu

419 Coalition wonders:  How in the world ole Fast Freddie Ajudua
managed to generate the energy to orchestrate this 419, seeing as
how the man has been ostensibly on death's door for years now....  :)
*******************************************

15 FEB 2017
From the 15 FEB press release of the Nigerian Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arrests "Investor" for Alleged $154,146 Fraud...
Places inmate perpetrating fraud from prison under watch

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on February 9, 
2017 arrested one Benjamin Aduli for offences bordering on criminal 
breach of trust and obtaining by false pretence.

Operatives of the EFCC got wind of his nefarious activities through 
a petition by one of his victims. According to the petitioner, Aduli 
claimed that he could "help source for a loan facility of $30 million 
in Dubai" that would be used to finance Fleet farms, a company belonging 
to the petitioner.

Having convinced the potential investor of the "good deal", he demanded 
for a contributory fee of $154,146 which he claimed would be remitted 
to ABA investment LLC in Dubai as "a condition for accessing the loan".

Not sensing any foul play, the petitioner paid the said sum to a Micro 
Finance Bank on the instruction of Aduli, for onward remittance as promised.

However, since payment was made, no loan was provided for the petitioner, 
while the money was never returned.

The suspect will be charged to court as soon as investigations are elapsed.

Meanwhile, the EFCC is currently intensifying investigations into the 
shady activities of a serial fraudster, Adeolu Adeyanju, who in spite of 
being behind bars is still defrauding unsuspecting individuals.

His fraudulent activities out of the prison yard, came to the fore after 
a complainant, a friend to a director at the Petroleum Products and Marketing 
Company, PPMC, petitioned the EFCC that Adeyanju conned him into paying him 
N9 million.

His modus operandi was to clone the telephone number of the director, using 
same to instruct the petitioner to "make a payment for 50 trucks of petroleum 
products to Detwinx Global Services Limited", which he did.

But on the receipt of the money, Adeyanju found a way to get N7.4 million 
transferred to a bureau de change operator, who converted same to its dollar 
equivalent, while keeping N1.5 million in his personal account.

The suspect is said to have several aliases with which he uses to defraud 
people, and at the moment also has cases pending before the Independent 
Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, the Department 
of State Services, DSS, and the Nigeria Police. He would be arraigned as soon 
as investigations are concluded.

Here is the RUL of the press release for as long as it
is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2325-efcc-arrests-investor-for-alleged-154-146-fraud-places-inmate-perpetrating-fraud-from-prison-under-watch
**************************************************
10 FEB 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arraigns Two Suspected Internet Fraudsters for Forgery

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, 
February 10, 2017 arraigned the duo of  Elijah Jeremiah and Obasa 
Isaiah before Justice M. A. Adegbola of the High Court of Oyo State 
sitting in Ibadan, on a 6-count charge bordering on conspiracy to 
commit forgery and forgery.

The accuse persons, however pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In view of their plea, counsel to EFCC, Oluwatonyin Owodunni asked f
or trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendants in prison 
custody. However, counsel to the 1st and 2nd defendants, C.C. Amede 
and Richarmond Natha-Alade informed the court of their application 
for bail and prayed the court to grant the defendants bail.

One of the count reads: "That you, Elijah Jeremiah and Obasa Isaiah 
sometime between the month of June and October 2016 at Ibadan within 
the Ibadan Judicial Division with intent to facilitate your procurement 
of United States' Visa forged an identity card in the name of Elijah 
Jeremiah and purported same to have been issued to you by Datsol 
Industries Limited"

Elijah and Obasa's journey to the dock followed a petition to the 
EFCC alleging that Jeremiah lives an ostentatious life without a 
definite job. He is also alleged to be involved in auction sites on 
the internet through which he makes online purchases of items from 
China. His modus operandi is to download Letters of Credit purportedly 
issued by Scotia Online Financial Services of Scotia Bank worldwide 
from Google, edits it to suit his purpose of making dubious payments 
for purchases. The auctioneers, unaware of his antics however often 
fall victim of his game by shipping the goods to him ahead of confirmation 
of payment. Obasa, a travel agent became an accomplice by assisting 
Jeremiah with forged Identity card and letter of introduction to the US embassy.
 
Justice Adegbola while adjourning the matter to February 16, 2017 for 
ruling on bail application, ordered that the defendants be remanded 
in prison custody

Here is the URL of the press release for as long as
it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2312-efcc-arraigns-two-suspected-internet-fraudsters-for-forgery
********************************************

10 FEB 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

Internet Scam: Fraudster Jailed Two years

A Federal High Court, sitting in Benin-City, Edo State on Thursday 
convicted and sentenced to  two years imprisonment one Osagie Aghedo 
Bliss  (alias Julbert Stefan, Nesta Gilbert, Isak Krister and Fredrick 
Cruso) for conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence.

Bliss was first arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, 
EFCC, on 29 January, 2013 on a three- count charge bordering on conspiracy, 
possession of fraudulent documents containing false pretences and obtaining 
by false pretence. Bliss, upon his arraignment,  pleaded not guilty to the 
charges

After diligent prosecution by the EFCC, Justice  P. I. Ajoku found Bliss 
guilty on count one of the charge and consequently convicted and sentenced 
him to two years imprisonment without an option of fine. He was discharged 
and acquitted on count two and three of the charge.

Bliss was arrested with nineteen others suspected to be involved in internet 
fraud at No. 56 Siloko Road, Benin City, Edo State on 19 November, 2012 by 
the men of Joint Task Force,  JTF, 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army following intelligence 
reports on their suspected  involvement in internet scams. Laptop computers and 
phones were recovered from them at the point of arrest and they were handed over 
to EFCC, for further investigation and possible prosecution. Meanwhile, the 
nineteen others arrested with him, have been charged separately.

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes a photo
for as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2309-internet-scam-fraudster-jailed-two-years

419 Coalition Query:  And what amount of monies have been recovered
and repatriated to the victims of Mr. Bliss and his fellow 419ers?
**************************************

1 FEB 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arraigns Two for Defrauding Foreign National in Romance Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday 
February 1, 2017 arraigned two suspected internet fraudsters, Chukwudi 
Ugwueke and Sophia Ugwueke before Justice A.E.Obile of the Federal 
High Court, Warri, Delta State on a 13-count charge bordering on 
possession of fraudulent documents and obtaining money by false 
pretence to the tune of Six Thousand Four Hundred and Thirty US 
Dollars($6,430.00) in a romance scam.

The duo allegedly defrauded their victims by using false identities 
to lure innocent foreigners into online romantic relationship.

One of the counts reads: “that you Chukwudi Emmanuel Ugwueke 'm' 
(a. K.a) James Scott and Sophia Ugwueke 'f' on or about 9th of February, 
2016 at Sapele, Delta State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable 
court did posses documents containing false representation as James Scott, 
which said representation you made to L. M. Nors and obtained the sum of 
$2,600.00 (USD) under false pretence, a pretext you knew to be false 
and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (1) (a) of the 
Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable 
under section 1 (3) of the said Act.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read 
to them.

Justice Obile granted each of the accused persons bail in the sum of 
Two Million Naira with two sureties in like sum.

The sureties must have landed properties within the jurisdiction of 
this court, which will be verified by the court.

The matter was adjourned to the 7th of March, 2017 for trial, while the 
accused are to be remanded in prison custody pending the fulfilment of 
their bail conditions.

Here is the URL of the press release for as long
as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2297-efcc-arraigns-two-for-defrauding-foreign-national-in-romance-scam
**************************************

23 JAN 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

Suspected Fraudster Docked for $267,000 Love Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Monday, 
23 January, 2017 arraigned Akintunde Vincent Abiodun before 
Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of Lagos State High court  Ikeja on 
amended charge bordering on forgery and obtaining money by 
false pretence.

The 37-year-old HND holder from Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Edo 
State, is said to have defrauded the victim, D. Bonnici of  $267,000 
(Two Hundred and Sixty Seven Thousand New Zealand Dollars by claiming 
to be Christopher Williams from United Kingdom.

According to the complainant, she met Akintunde in a dating site 
on the internet and allegedly fell in love with him. She said the 
accused started collecting money from her after he claimed he was 
in possession of gemstone worth $18,050,000 (Eighteen Million and 
Fifty Thousand United States Dollars), which he purportedly inherited 
from his father.

She further said, Akintunde hoodwinked her into believing that he 
was coming to New Zealand to settle down with her.

She alleged that the money she sent to the suspect were received 
in Malaysia and Nigeria by persons bearing Norisha, Jalan Klan, 
and Mohammed Haizam Bin Fauzin.  All of them claimed to be friends 
of Akintunde.

When the 14 charges were read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty.

In view of the plea, the prosecuting counsel, Sesan Ola prayed the 
court to remand the defendant in prison custody and also for a trial 
date to be given.

Counsel to the defendant, O.P. Daramola however prayed the court to 
grant the defendant bail.

But the prosecution opposed the bail application on the grounds that 
the defendant had attempted to travel to the United States while on 
administrative bail and was similarly denied a Canadian visa.

Justice Ipaye consequently dismissed the bail application while 
ordering the defendant be remanded in Kirikiri prison custody.

The matter was adjourned to 7 and 8 March, 2017 for trial.

Here is the URL of the press release, which includes
a photo:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2280-suspected-fraudster-docked-for-267-000-love-scam
***************************************

12 JAN 2017
From the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC):

EFCC Arrests Three Suspected Internet Fraudsters

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal 
Office has apprehended a gang of internet fraudsters comprising 
the trio of Davies Ayomide Rapheal, Adeyemi Adewumi Segun and Oyewole 
Segun who allegedly engage in phony online purchases from designated 
auction sites.

The suspects confessed to have accomplices abroad. They were arrested 
by the operatives of the Commission at different locations following 
tip-off.

Rapheal, the arrow head of the gang, prowls on the internet particularly 
on Craigslist- an online sale and purchase sites, where items ranging 
from cars and furniture are being displayed for sale.

His words: "I usually pose like a genuine buyer and engage any seller 
in a bid to purchase a car. After the seller had agreed to the terms 
of purchase, I go online to edit any PayPal receipt online to reflect 
whatever agreement reached which includes cost of purchase and the 
accrued percentage for shipping.  Our cohorts abroad, collect the 
shipping cost which had been added to the cost of the car on the 
PayPal receipt and send it to either Adeyemi or Oyewole who receives 
it in Nigeria for us to share."

An indigene of Ipetumodu, Osun State, Raphael, 27, said he had to 
recruit his co-travelers, Adeyemi and Oyewole into the Syndicate 
in order to raise money to pursue his dream of becoming a music star, 
having dropped out of school.

He confessed to have made about N2.5million from the various scams 
from which he bought a car, Honda Accord (EOD) with registration number 
EKY437EA, and a Phantom 5 phone.

Adeyemi and Oyewole who hail from Ondo and Ibadan respectively, also 
confessed to be members of the Syndicate.

Aside being part of the auction scam, Adeyemi, 27, stated that he was 
also into romance scam and had fleeced some unsuspecting victims of their 
money, the latest being $250 that he got from an Australian.

On his part, Oyewole, 31, confessed that he collects their proceeds 
through his account domiciled in one of the new generation banks. According 
to him, his share in the latest 'deal' was N247,000 which was ten percent 
of the sum realised.

The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.

Here is the URL of the press release for
as long as it is good:
https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/2264-efcc-arrests-three-suspected-internet-fraudsters
***********************************

1 JAN 2017
419 Coalition would like to open 2017 with yet another 
plea for justice, recovery, and restitution, in the famous 
Odiawa case.......

According to private reports received by 419 Coalition from trusted 
sources, the EFCC has still not recovered even $1.00 to repatriate 
in the famous Odiawa case.

Readers will recall that the Odiawa case of over a decade ago was 
one of the few in which the 419er was convicted in Nigeria and went 
to prison.  Restitution was  ordered by the Court at that time.  
However, the Nigerian Government and the EFCC have been unable 
to recover and repatriate even $1.00 to the victim as of 
January 2017.  

Yes, you heard that right, - over $2 million was stolen by this convicted 
419er, and the vaunted EFCC, in over a decade, could not even find $1.00 
to recover and repatriate to the  victim. Neither 419er money, nor real 
estate, nor anything of any real value could be found.  Nothing....

The main man in charge of the EFCC's recovery and repatriation effort 
in this case was Mr. Olaolu Adegbite, who headed up the Advance 
Fee Fraud section of the EFCC from 2003 until March 2012, when he
was promoted to Director of Operations of the EFCC.  We're not too 
sure exactly what factors led to Mr. Adegbite's promotion, but his 
performance in the recovery and restitution phase of the Odiawa case
certainly could not have been among them, given that there were no 
tangible results to show for his efforts in that regard....  

In fact, EFCC looked so long in its fruitless search for Odiawa's tainted 
assets that he finished up his  jail sentence awhile back and has gone 
his merry way.  Guess he is living on air or something though, since
according to the EFCC he has no  assets to seize to pay restitution
out of.

Let us hope that 2017 will be the victim's lucky year and that the EFCC 
will see to it that the court ordered restitution actually gets paid.

You know, even in the unlikely event that Odiawa actually does have no
assets to seize, the EFCC claims to have something like $700 million in
unclaimed monies recovered from 419ers sitting in escrow someplace.... 
at 419 Coalition, we say pay the restitution out of That - after all,
it is victims' money, not Nigerian government money.  So use it to 
compensate victims - and those with Court Ordered Restitution should 
be at the top of the list, our view!
*************************************************

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