The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested 792 suspected internet fraudsters over cryptocurrency investment fraud, romance scam and other related offences.
Director of Public Affairs of the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren, made this known while briefing journalists in Lagos on Monday.
He said the suspects were arrested on Tuesday last week in a surprise operation at their hideout at the Big Leaf Building, on No.7, Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to Uwujaren, the operation followed actionable intelligence and months of surveillance and monitoring of activities of the syndicate.
He said that 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos, one Pakistani and one Indonesian were among the foreigners arrested.
“Investigation established that the foreign nationals use the facility at 7 Oyin Jolayemi Street, which could be mistaken for a corporate headquarters of a financial establishment, to train their Nigerian accomplices on how to initiate romance and investment scams and also use the identities of Nigerians to perpetrate their criminal activities.
“All the floors are equipped with high-end desktop computers. On the 5th floor alone, investigators recovered 500 SIM cards of local telcos that were bought for criminal purposes.
“Their Nigerian accomplices were recruited by the foreign kingpins to prospect for victims online through phishing, targeting mostly Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, and several others from European countries.
“They usually arm them with desktop computers and mobile devices and create fake profiles for them,” he said.
