A 70-year-old British national, Christine Brown who had fallen victim to internet fraud was on Monday, August 28, 2023, presented with the sum of $26,000 by the Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Brown expressed gratitude to the commission for its efforts which she said, have brought some succour to her after losing her life’s savings to the fraudsters.
The 70-year-old had petitioned the anti-graft agency after being defrauded by an internet fraudster through a romance scam.
Narrating her ordeal, Brown said she became a victim after she met a purported John Barrowman, an entertainer and citizen of America online. Unknown to her, he was a fraudster. Brown said they became romantically involved, and the fraudster began to demand money which she sent to him through wire transfers, Bitcoin, and gift cards.
A statement issued on Tuesday evening by EFCC Spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said the commission’s Zonal Commander, Kanu Idagu while handing over the recovered fund, noted that the commission will continue to discharge its mandate for the betterment of society.
“We are doing a whole lot in ensuring that victims of fraud are restituted where possible, and we will continue to do more,” he said.
He admonished the public to be circumspect in whatever they do online as fraudsters prowl the internet seeking to defraud unsuspecting victims.
In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that Seventeen (17) suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo Boys” were on Tuesday, arrested by operatives of the Uyo Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Items recovered from the suspected “Yahoo Boys” included sophisticated mobile phones, a television set, a red Toyota Camry LE car, a black Honda car, and two Lexus cars.
