EFCC parades 10 ‘yahoo boys’ impersonating American soldiers in Afghanistan

South-South Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Port Harcourt on Thursday paraded 10 persons for alleged involvement in internet fraud.

EFCC’s coordinator in the zone, Mr Naghe Obono-Itam, told reporters that the suspects impersonated American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan to defraud some American citizens.
He said that the suspects, all Nigerians, hid under the internet to portray themselves as soldiers who needed donations.

“In the last three months, the issue of internet fraud has resurfaced, I am glad we were able to apprehend these ones with the partnership of the police.
“These people were talking to their American targets as if they were American Afghanistan fighters in need of support,’’ he said.
He said because it was difficult to collect money from their targets while in Nigeria, the suspects asked for i-tunes instead.

“They collect i-tunes from them and dispose them online in foreign currencies, preferably in dollars,’’ he said.
Obono-Itam said that the commission was aware of newer techniques being used by fraudsters to swindle members of the public.
“Some pretend to be working for organisations that explore mineral deposits, they throw their nets as far as China and other countries,’’ he said.
The EFCC official urged Nigerians to be cautious of privacy of details of their bank accounts to avoid being defrauded.