Nigeria’s anti-graft agency arrested 792 suspects in a raid on the Big Leaf Building in Lagos, believed to be a hub for fraudsters
According to Reuters*, the suspects, including 148 Chinese and 40 Filipino nationals, were involved in luring victims with romance offers and fake cryptocurrency investments. The building housed a call center targeting victims from the Americas and Europe via social media and messaging platforms. Nigerian accomplices would initially contact victims, and foreign nationals would then defraud them. The agency seized computers, phones, and vehicles and is collaborating with international partners to investigate links to organized crime.
It’s incredibly easy for a fraudster to take on the persona of anyone they choose and use dating sites to target people yet it’s not so easy to catch the perpetrators. Scam artists target their victims using clever psychological tactics to impress them and even use the latest AI technology to help in this manipulation. But at the same time, they also use impressive evasion techniques and tools to hide in the digital shadows.
However, this latest series of arrests is an incredible feat and should hopefully send out a message that crime does not always pay. Even with these arrests, however, individuals should remain cautious when building online relationships particularly when financial or sensitive information is requested prior to any physical meeting. It’s always important to verify online identities through any possible trusted means and people need to be skeptical of investments or transactions involving cryptocurrencies.
by Jake Moore, ESET
*ESET does not bear any responsibility for the accuracy of this information.
ESET Ireland 