The Police Special Fraud Unit, PSFU, has smashed a syndicate
which speclialises in designing multinational organisations’ websites to
defraud unsuspecting members of the public, particularly applicants, and
arrested six members.
Among the suspects are a first class honours graduate and
two final year students of the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA.
The suspects’ modus oparadi, according to the unit, include
using logos of multinational companies to place online advertisements for jobs
and scholarships and demanding application fee from interested individuals.
Explaining how they were arrested, spokesperson for the
unit, Ngozi Isintume-Agu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said: “The
petition dated August 22, 2013, said in the website, applicants were required
to pay a fee of N2,500 and over 2,000 applicants responded through FirstBank
account number 2020874607 and Access Bank account number 0056941009 with the
name, OFID WSAS NG.
“The petitioner stated further that it was one of the
victims that contacted OFID via facebook, accusing it of being an accomplice in
the fraud.
“ The Cybercrime Section of the unit swung into action and
the mastermind of the fraud, one Falade Oluwapelumi Ayotunde, was arrested.
“His arrest led to the arrest of five other syndicate
members. Police investigation so far revealed that over 2,000 applicants paid
N2,500 each into the two bank accounts provided by the suspects and the
principal suspect is the only signatory to both accounts.
[1] FALADE
OLUWAPELUMI AYOTUNDE - A 25years old from Akure, Ondo State and
500Level Estate Management student of
Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). The suspect made a
confessional statement, that he designed the website of OFID WSAS (OPEC Fund
for International Development for World Student Aid Scholarship) in June,
2012. That the idea came from one Fajobi
Olalekan and Bolatiri Opemipo. He also admitted that he opened an account in
both First Bank and Access Bank with the name OFID WSAS NG for applicants to
pay in their application fee which many responded to. He further stated that he
and his cohorts printed a postal for OFIDWAS which was on the website.
[2] ASAOLU VICTOR – 25years old from Ilesha in Osun State
and a graduate of Mining Engineering from Federal University of Technology,
Akure (FUTA). A job seeker, He confessed
that he assisted to paste the posters on line and he was given N80,000.00
initially and later another N40,000.00 totaling N120,000.00 for the job.
[3] AWOTE TEMITOPE EMMANUEL – 27years old. A 500Level Estate Management student of
Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).
He confessed that he assisted the principal suspect to sign guarantor
for the accounts he opened in First Bank and Access Bank for the OFID program and was paid N70,000.00
which he had spent for his personal effects.
He stated that he participated in pasting and publicizing the fake OFID
Scholarship Program. He also stated that
he knew from the onset that the OFID Scholarship Program is a scam aimed at defrauding innocent scholarship
applicant but that he still went on to deceive the bank that his friend is
honest and the program genuine.
[4] FAJOBI OLALEKAN is 27years old from Lagos State and a
Mechanical Engineering graduate of Federal University of Technology, Akure
(FUTA) with a first class honour and the best graduating student in his
department for the year 2012. He is currently working with Dee Xecutor
Concept. He stated that while in school,
he lived in the same Lodge with the 1st suspect and his mates/friends always
come to him for educational assistance because of his intelligence. That he once fell victim for scholarship
known as EDIADS, which made the 1st suspect to approach him and got some
information regarding that one, which he believed gave him an idea on how to
design OFID Scholarship Website. He further stated that he lent the 1st suspect
the sum N12,000.00 for hosting the Website. He later gave him N20,000.00 in
return and informed him that the fraud was successful.
[5] BOLATIRI EMMANUEL
ONAOPEMIPO is 25years old from Oyo State.
A graduate of FUTA. He is
currently a Handset Dealer. He
corroborated Fajobi Olalekan’s statement that they applied for scholarship
while in school which turned out to be fake and they shared their experiences
with the 1st suspect which gave him an idea on how to design his own fake
Website with OFID name/logo. He also
stated that he lent him the sum of N8,000.00 and was later paid N12,000.00 with
interest.
[6] ADEBOMI
OLUWATOSIN – 26years old and a graduate of FUTA. He is currently working with
Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro as a Programmer II. According to him, he offered professional
advice to the 1st suspect and lent him the sum of N10,000.00 and was later
given N100,000.00 as his own share. He
confessed that he knew from the onset
that it was fraud aimed at defrauding innocent applicants, since there was no
authority from OFID.
Investigation is on-going.
Suspects will be charged to court soonest. The Commissioner of Police,
Police Special Fraud Unit, CP Umar F. Idris advises the general public to
verify the genuineness of any on-line advert before parting with their
money. He also uses this medium to
invite the affected victims to Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) No. 13,
Milverton Road, Ikoyi – Lagos in furtherance of the investigation.
DSP NGOZI ISINTUME-AGU
Police Public Relations Officer
For: Commissioner of Police
Police Special Fraud Unit
Ikoyi – Lagos
Photo of Suspects, From Right to Left. Number 1 - 6.
[1] FALADE OLUWAPELUMI AYOTUNDE – 25yrs
[2] ASAOLU VICTOR -
25yrs [3] AWOTE TEMITOPE
EMAX -
27yrs [4] FAJOBI OLALEKAN -
27yrs [5] BOLATIRI EMMANUEL
ONAOPEMIPO - 25yrs [6] ADEBOMI
OLUWATOSIN - 26yrs
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