A joint operation between the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the National Police Agency of Japan has led to the arrest of 11 suspects involved in identity theft, romance scams, and computer-related fraud targeting Japanese victims.
The crackdown followed a report received on 3 April 2024, detailing five cybercrime cases linked to 13 individuals operating from Nigeria.
A statement on Monday by the NPF spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed that the NPF National Cybercrime Centre, in collaboration with Nigeria’s National Central Bureau and NCB Tokyo, launched an extensive investigation that led to the arrests.
‘The Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with the National Police Agency of Japan, has strengthened efforts to combat cybercrime. A press briefing at the NPF-NCCC highlighted the effectiveness of this international partnership, which led to the arrest of 11 suspects involved in identity theft, romance scams, and other cyber-related fraud’, Adejobi stated.
According to him, the investigation uncovered a network that used social media platforms, particularly Instagram, to lure victims into fraudulent romantic relationships.
He said the victims were deceived into transferring funds via wire transactions, which were later converted into cryptocurrency and funnelled into digital wallets in Nigeria.
Adejobi said, ‘The subsequent investigation led to the apprehension of eleven individuals and unveiled an extensive network that exploited social media platforms, particularly Instagram, to lure unsuspecting victims into fraudulent romantic relationships. Victims were duped into transferring funds through wire transactions, which were eventually converted into cryptocurrency and funnelled to various digital wallets in Nigeria’.
Adejobi said operatives had so far recovered $33,320 from the suspects, with ongoing efforts to trace and retrieve additional stolen funds while dismantling the syndicate.
He said, ‘The preliminary stages of the investigation yielded the recovery of $33,320, with ongoing efforts to reclaim additional stolen funds and dismantle the entire syndicate responsible for these crimes’.
