Lekki, the area of Lagos where the super-rich resides, is fast becoming the preferred destination of Internet fraudsters in the state.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), this neighbourhood where the annual rent for a three-bedroom flat goes between N3million and N7million is the preferred location for all manner of cyber fraud syndicates.
The EFCC says data from its investigation by the Lagos Command indicates that between April and June 2021, 159 suspects were arrested and 70 are from Lekki, comprising communities such as Ajah, Badore, Victoria Garden City, Sangotedo and Oniru.
Ajah accounted for 24 suspects, while Oniru and Sangotedo had 14 and 13 suspects respectively. Badore had 8 suspects. Neighbouring Ikoyi and Eko Atlantic had 2 and a suspect each. Ikorodu and Alagbado on the Lagos Mainland make up the remainder.
According to the agency, the suspects are mostly millennials, with 82 of them aged between 25-34 years, which ”speaks to the fact that most of the individuals arrested are either still in school, recent graduates or university dropouts”.
”Analysis of the data from the Cyber Crime Section further shows that the dominant form of internet crime is Dating Scam/Online Dating Scam/Romance Scam.
“Sixty Four per cent (64%) of individuals arrested are involved in romance scam, followed closely by ‘Middle Man Scam’ and ‘Picking’ which account for 8% and 7% respectively of those arrested.
“The 64% involved in the dating scam benefitted to the tune of N8, 310,000; $349,290 USD; £ 900; €10 and Cryptocurrency 0.17513.
“Other types of fraud identified include forgery, possession of fraudulent documents, spamming, credit card fraud, impersonation, rental scam, loan fraud, Business Email Compromise, Hacking, stealing, cheque scam, phishing, and money laundering.
“The data also reveals gift cards, at 39%, as the prevalent method employed by the suspects to access their illicit funds. It is followed by bank transfers at 27% and Cryptocurrency at 21%”