The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has promised to investigate a suspected internet fraud syndicate operating in Abuja, which is accused of posing as well-known content creators to cheat people trying to recover money they had earlier lost to scammers.
The commission’s pledge followed claims by NanoBaiter, a US-based YouTuber and online scam-baiter, who alleged that the suspects pretended to be popular content creators, among them MrBeast, Airrack and himself, to trick victims into paying for bogus recovery services.
In a series of posts and a video documentary published on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, NanoBaiter said he had uncovered the activities of the suspected fraudsters in Abuja, who allegedly offered fake recovery services to people who had previously been scammed.
The content creator, who targets online scammers, tech-support impersonators and recovery fraudsters, said the suspects kept watch on the comment sections of online videos where people complained about being defrauded.
He disclosed that the evidence gathered during his investigation had been handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Speaking to Sunday PUNCH, the commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, said he could not confirm whether the matter had been formally reported to the agency.
He assured, however, that the commission would look into the allegations, adding that its investigation would go beyond the YouTuber’s findings.
“If they have reported the matter to us, as they claim in that video, you can be very sure that we are going to investigate the matter even beyond what they may have uncovered.
“Whether there is such a report or there is no such report, we are never relenting. Every day we are ensuring that all these cases of cybercrime are brought to their knees,” he said.
Oyewale described internet fraud as a serious offence with far-reaching economic consequences, warning that such crimes could damage Nigeria’s international reputation.
“This kind of fraud is worrisome and causing Nigeria reputation damage. The issue of cybercrime is beyond the ordinary consideration of what the so-called ‘Yahoo boys’ are doing.”
“Cybercrime is a major fraud, and it is clear that there is a potential for forcing many millions of dollars to the nation, and that is why we keep on appealing to Nigerians that we cannot fold our hands and say that these are small boys,” he said.
According to NanoBaiter, the syndicate lured victims to Telegram accounts, where it offered to help them get back their lost funds.
He alleged that the suspects promoted and sold fund-recovery software, taking advantage of the desperation of victims anxious to retrieve their money.
He named one of the suspects as Kemi.
The YouTuber also claimed that, while trying to expose the syndicate, he cost one of the suspected fraudsters about $13,000 by redeeming thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards during a live webcam confrontation.
“This group of Nigerian scammers are currently on the phone with us trying to steal $13,000, but what they don’t realise is that I have been spying on them for the last month, and now they are about to lose thousands of dollars live on camera.
“The type of scam they run is a celebrity impersonation scam, also known as a recovery scam. However, these scammers don’t just impersonate anybody, they impersonate YouTubers like @MrBeast, @airrack, and many more channels.
“Kemi is a young guy from Nigeria, and we managed to find him while going through the comment section of one of our videos,” he said.
Recounting how he exposed the operation, NanoBaiter said he first came across the suspects while going through comments on videos in which people sought help after being scammed.
He alleged that after one suspect tried to defraud him, he reversed the remote connection to the suspect’s computer and eventually gained access to the system and its webcam.
The YouTuber said he captured images of the suspect’s face and retrieved files and photographs that allegedly served as evidence of the operation.
He added that he went through the suspect’s Telegram contacts and computer files, which reportedly held images linked to earlier scams, cash, gift cards and cryptocurrency transactions.
NanoBaiter explained that he used information from the computer’s active Wi-Fi connection, including basic service set identifiers, to narrow down the location of the suspected operators.
That information, he said, helped him trace the operation to Abuja.
He disclosed that access to the suspects’ systems also gave him footage of their activities, including attempts to complete identity verification for cryptocurrency transactions.
According to the YouTuber, his team built a website through which the suspects were made to believe they could claim Bitcoin.
To complete the supposed withdrawal, they were required to verify their identities.
The resulting footage, he said, helped his team identify individuals allegedly connected to the operation.
The YouTuber said his findings showed that gift cards obtained through fraudulent means were converted into cryptocurrency through an over-the-counter exchange arrangement, a method he alleged was used to hide the movement of the proceeds of the fraud.
In the video, the alleged fraudster’s voice was heard instructing NanoBaiter not to redeem a gift card.
The fraudster further told him to send the code to him, but NanoBaiter repeatedly redeemed the codes while taunting the fraudster.
