Crime

Ghana’s Cybercrime War: 9 Nigerians Arrested for Online Scams

527

Nine Nigerian nationals are in custody in Ghana for allegedly coordinating cybercrime syndicates from temporary hubs in the capital.

Along with the suspects, security forces rescued 44 individuals who were allegedly trafficked from Nigeria with fraudulent promises of employment.

This group has been transferred to the Ghana Immigration Service for further investigation and repatriation.

During the two-day intelligence-led operation, raids uncovered 62 laptops, 52 mobile phones and two pump-action guns, the authorities have said.

There is a growing trend of foreigners being lured to Ghana under the pretext of lucrative work.

They are then put in gated compounds, have their documents confiscated and are compelled to engage in cyber-crime.

They often work on romance scams, where a victim is encouraged to send money to a fictitious partner who they believe is real, or business email compromise, where someone poses as an employer and gets people to sends funds or sensitive data.

The weekend’s operation was jointly co-ordinated by a host of agencies, including the Cyber Security Authority (CSA).

”All the arrested individuals have been duly profiled and handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service for safekeeping and further investigations,” Communications Minister Sam George said in a post on X.

“We caution foreign nationals invited to Ghana to verify claims made by their fellow nationals to lure them here.”

George also indicated that suspects arrested in previous recent operations have been handed over to Nigerian law enforcement or are facing prosecution.

The CSA and other agencies have been making efforts to flush out cyber-criminals, including working with the US authorities to arrest high-profile suspects.

Among recent operations was the arrest of a popular Ghanaian social media influencer known as Abu Trica, whose real name is Frederick Kumi, who allegedly stole $8m (£5.9m) from vulnerable Americans through a romance scam.

He has not yet commented on the allegations.

Another successful operation was the dismantling of a syndicate that defrauded over 200 victims of $400,000 (£300,000).

Leave a comment

Related Articles

Drug Bust: China-Bound Traveler Excretes 95 Pellets of Cocaine at Kano Airport

A 62-year-old Lagos businessman, Nwabueze Nicholas Izueke, is in NDLEA custody after...

US $6m Inheritance Fraud: Nigerian Man Handed 8-Year Sentence

Tochukwu Albert Nnebocha, a 44-year-old Nigerian national, has been sentenced to 97...

NEXIM ₦2.4bln Fraud: Former MD Slapped With 490-Year Jail Term

For embezzling ₦2.4 billion, Robert Orya, former Managing Director of Nigerian Export-Import...

Lagos Airport Drug Bust: Brazil-to-Lagos Traveler Conceals Cocaine in Shoes, Private Parts

Following a successful intelligence-led operation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)...

Record-Breaking Haul: Brazilian Lady Caught with N3bln Heroin at Abuja Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made its largest-ever heroin...

Drug Kingpin “Kanmo-Kanmo” Arrested 12 Years After Brutal Killing of 3 NDLEA Officers

After 12 years on the run, wanted drug lord Lekan “Kanmo-Kanmo” Jimoh...

NDLEA Nabs 22 Indians in Cocaine Bust, Seizes Illicit Drugs Hidden in Coffee Sachets

In a series of successful counter-narcotics operations, the National Drug Law Enforcement...

Ex-Convict, 3 Others Caught with UK-Bound Cocaine in Liquid Starch Sachets at Lagos Airport

A convicted drug trafficker, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, is back in NDLEA custody...

23.5kg Cocaine Found in Children’s Room: NDLEA Arrests Female Kingpin

Twenty months after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) dismantled a...

Court Grants NDLEA Order to Detain Vessel, 21-Crew Member Over 25.5kg Brazil Cocaine Bust

A Federal High Court in Lagos has granted the National Drug Law...

7.6m Tramadol Pills, 76,273kg of Cannabis Seized In NDLEA Raids In 3 States

In a series of intelligence-led operations across the country, the National Drug...

Lagos NDLEA Busts Drug Ring Using Christmas Cookies as Smuggling Ploy

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has achieved another successful counter-narcotics...

Girlfriend Murder: Court Delivers Death Penalty for University Student

A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has convicted and...

Detention: Ex-Binance Executive Gambaryan Loses Case Against EFCC, NSA

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday dismissed a suit filed...

NDLEA Takes Custody of Suspect, 108kg of Cannabis Seized by Army in Kogi

The Nigerian Army, through its 12 Brigade, has announced successful results in...

NDLEA Intensifies War on Drugs Nationwide, Secures Arrests of Nine Notorious Kingpins

In a blistering crackdown on Drug Trafficking Organisations(DTOs) across the country, the...

NDLEA Strikes Again: Wanted Drug Baron Caught, Large Drug Cache, Forex Recovered in Lagos

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has achieved another successful counter-narcotics operation...

Wanted Drug Kingpin Nabbed at Lagos Airport, Secret ‘Colos’ Lab Busted

After months of surveillance, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency...

NDLEA Busts Secret ‘Colos’ Lab in Lagos, Confiscates ‘Loud’ Hidden in Bathtubs

In another successful counter-narcotics operation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)...

Court Orders Permanent Forfeiture Of $49,700 Recovered from Ex-INEC Official

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the permanent forfeiture...