EFCC: Over 700 People Lost N652m To Airline Ticket Discount Scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has uncovered a dubious airline ticket discount scam orchestrated by a foreigner and Nigerian collaborators, defrauding over 700 unsuspecting passengers of N651,975,000.

Victims lost their entire bank account savings after clicking links in unsolicited messages promising cut-price flight tickets from a foreign carrier, EFCC spokesperson Wilson Uwajaren revealed while briefing journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

According to him, what began as complaints from just seven victims snowballed into a massive probe uncovering the staggering losses, with the agency warning Nigerians to shun suspicious online deals.

Uwajaren explained that the investigation started with seven victims who complained about the fraud, and that their money was stolen. Currently, the EFCC has uncovered over 700 victims, with over N600,000,000 lost to the scam.

According to him, “As I speak with you, over 900 Nigerians have fallen victim of both this airline fraud and other investment schemes that we are currently investigating. The question, I guess, some of you would like to ask me is about this airline fraud scheme.

“What they do essentially is to advertise a discount system in the context of flight tickets of a particular foreign carrier, and the payment model is designed in such a way that their victims will be convinced that the payment is actually made through the account of the airline. Once the payment is made, the victim will realise that their accounts have been wiped off.

“ Initially, seven victims came up to file a complaint to the commission, but in the course of the investigation, we discovered that over 700 people have been duped through this scheme, and a staggering amount of N651,975,000 has so far been lost through this scheme.”

The EFCC further warned passengers to beware of suspicious and enticing offers, especially when they involve online payments or dealings, and called for proper investigation before engaging in discounted prices.