October 26, 2023 at 01:57PM
The Nigerian Police arrested six suspects involved in cybercrime, including scams such as business email compromise, romance scams, and investment schemes. They dismantled a cybercrime mentoring hub in Abuja and seized digital devices. The suspects confessed to participating in cybercrime activities like hacking, identity theft, and forgery. The authorities urge the public to report any suspicious online activity. BEC scams caused a $43 billion loss, while romance scams and cryptocurrency schemes resulted in significant financial losses. Internet users should exercise caution and be wary of social engineering attacks.
Summary:
– The Nigerian Police Force has made significant progress in combating cybercrime activities, particularly related to business email compromise, romance scams, and investment scams.
– On September 13th, 2023, six individuals were arrested in the Dantata estate area after being investigated for cybercrime.
– The police dismantled a cybercrime recruitment and mentoring hub in Abuja, seizing digital devices used in criminal activities.
– The arrested individuals have confessed to engaging in activities such as identity theft, hacking, trading of hacked Facebook accounts, romance scams, computer-related forgery, and other computer-related fraud.
– Inspector General of Police Ag. IGP Olukayode Egbetokun, NPM, Ph.D., urges the public to report suspicious online activities and expose cybercrime recruitment centers and mentoring hubs.
– Based on reports, BEC scams have resulted in a theft of $43 billion, romance scams have led to a loss of $1.3 billion, and cryptocurrency investment schemes have resulted in a loss of over $2 billion.
– Online users are advised to be cautious and skeptical of social engineering attacks, especially those requesting sensitive information or money.