A 28-year-old Nigerian has met his waterloo as he has been arrested by Interpol officers in relation to a cybercrime ring which involves fraudulent activities like phishing, internet, romance scams and money laundering.
The suspect who has been identified as James Junior Aliyu had also been arrested at an upmarket estate in Sandton, Johannesburg, after a takedown operation.
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Members from the Interpol National Crime Bureau (NCB) in Pretoria with assistance from members of the SAPS Gauteng Highway Patrol Unit had raided the upmarket estate at 10:00 on Wednesday, 29 June 2022 after a tip off where they effected the arrest.
His arrest follows a widespread investigation involving law enforcement authorities from South Africa (SA) and the United States of America (USA).
Confirming his arrest, INTERPOL on its verified Twitter page wrote: ” Last week @SAPoliceService detained a suspected Nigerian cybercriminal allegedly involved in phishing, Internet scamming and MoneyLaundering INTERPOL’s newly-launched Financial Crime centre IFCACC is already following up on intelligence received during the arrest.”
Aliyu is accused of swindling dozens of US citizens millions in USD through email and text messages. It was reported that Authorities in the USA, where the investigation originated have applied for his extradition. The suspect’s case will be heard at the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on 05 July 2022.
Africa Daily News, New York had previously reported that in a coordinated crack operation which involved officials of the International Police (INTERPOL) and some local security forces, three Nigerians have been nabbed over alleged global scam.
The trio were arrested in a sting operation conducted simultaneously in a Lagos suburb, Ajegunle and in Benin City, 300 km to the East of the commercial capital.
One of the scammers, Hendrix Omorume has been charged and convicted and now faces a 12-month prison sentence.
The three men, aged between 31 and 38, were each arrested in possession of fake documents, including fraudulent invoices and forged official letters.
The investigation was conducted in conjunction with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC
