EFCC Cautions Public Against Covid-19 Scams

The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has advised Nigerians to be wary of fraudsters using the raging Coronavirus pandemic to defraud unsuspecting victims. .

Acording to him, fraudsters are on the prowl promising innocent Nigerians access to palliatives from the government, in a bid to manipulate their banking details against them.

“Do not accept calls from unknown person purporting to be in charge of distribution of palliatives on behalf of federal government or asking you to send details of your bank account”, he said. .
.

Magu, who spoke through Philips Stephanie, Head, Advance Fee Fraud, AFF Section, Makurdi Office of the EFCC, called on financial institutions and Designated Non-Financial Institutions, DFNIs, to always apply due diligence in handling online financial transactions to stem the growing rate of cybercrime in the country.

Meanwhile, the commission’s Kaduna Zonal Office on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 secured a seven years prison term of one Sadiq Mustapha without option of fine, before Justice Mallong Peter of the Federal High Court, Kaduna for obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N6,100, 000 and operating illegal bureau de change.

Mustapha was arraigned on December 2, 2019 on a two-count charge, bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and operating a bureau de change without authorisation by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

According to a statement by the anti graft agency, trouble began for the convict following a petition by one Abdulsalam Danlami Abubakar, who alleged that sometime in 2016, Mustapha lured him into transferring the sum of N6,100.000 (Six Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira) in three separate transactions from his Zenith Bank account to that of his company, Abueleven Limited, domiciled in Fidelity Bank for exchange with dollar equivalent of $ 20,000 USD.
.
.