Operatives of the C4i Intelligence Unit of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested two suspected online scammers for defrauding a Canada-based Nigerian, Sandra Austin of N150 million.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday said the scammers, Michael Onyedikachi and Akachukwu Benedict, both aged 29, were arrested in Enugu, the Enugu State capital.
Iringe-Koko said Onyedikachi sent a Facebook friend request to Sandra in February 2022, posing as Engineer Desmond Chibuike Okechukwu, which she reluctantly accepted and the suspect subsequently convinced his victim into sending monies to him to buy and build a house for her in any of the choice parts of Lagos.
“The fraud escalated when the scammer persuaded Sandra to transition their conversations to WhatsApp. On this platform, he sent her pictures of luxurious houses purportedly built by him in upscale areas like Ajah, Lagos. Sandra expressed interest in one of the showcased properties, which the scammer claimed would cost 150 million Naira to purchase and develop.
“Trusting his claims, she began transferring funds to a provided bank account, sending a total of 110 million Naira by February 2024. After the final payment of Thirty Million Naira, she was abruptly blocked from all communication channels,” the police said.
Police said the shock of the scam caused Sandra’s blood pressure to spike, resulting in her landing in the hospital.
Determined to seek justice, she contacted her family in Nigeria, who promptly reported the matter to the Police with a complaint through a petition to the Commissioner of Police Rivers who referred the case to the C4i Intelligence Unit in Borikiri, Port Harcourt for discreet investigation.
Meanwhile, the fraudsters repeatedly called Sandra to intimidate her and deter her from involving the authorities.
Upon his arrest following intelligence-led policing, the first suspect, Onyedikachi from Nkanu West LGA, Enugu, confessed to operating the “Engineer Desmond” account and admitted to downloading images of construction projects to deceive the victim into believing that progress was being made on her supposed property.
According to the statement, the suspect also disclosed that he spent eight months in Accra, Ghana, learning the art of online fraud.
He was arrested on August 14, 2024, in his three-bedroom bungalow located in Ama-Okponike, a remote area in Enugu where he lived comfortably off his illicit earnings.
“Michael’s arrest led to the capture of his accomplice, Akachukwu Benedict, also 29, from Ngo-Okpala LGA, Imo State on August 16, 2024, at a hotel in Enugu, where he had lavishly booked a suite for an entire year.
Akachukwu confessed to introducing Michael to online fraud in 2022 and admitted to his own history of relationship scams. His first fraudulent act, he revealed, occurred in 2021 when he swindled an American woman named Molissa out of $600.
“The suspects detailed their methods to the Police, explaining that they acquired phone numbers through a dealer, who remains at large, specialising in cloned SIM cards. He revealed that in order to avoid detection, they processed most payments through cryptocurrency wallets.
Police investigation also revealed that they relied heavily on social engineering tactics and fake online personas to manipulate their victims.
It said the Police have recovered significant items link to the fraud, including a Toyota Corolla, land documents, laptops and phones.
