800 Arrested in Shocking Crypto-Romance Scam Operation in Nigeria

In a raid on a building considered to be a gathering place for scammers who enticed victims with promises of romance before pressuring them to give over money for fake cryptocurrency investments, Nigeria’s anti-graft agency reported that they had detained 792 individuals.

The arrests were made Tuesday as part of a sting operation in a phony criminal den housed in a seven-story building that could be mistaken for a financial establishment’s corporate headquarters, EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede said . 

According to Wilson Uwujaren, a spokesman for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the suspects were 40 Filipino and 148 Chinese nationals, who were taken into custody on December 10 at the seven-story Big Leaf Building in Lagos, the commercial hub of Nigeria.

He stated that a call center mostly serving victims from the Americas and Europe was located in the lavish foundation.Employees would reach out to people via social media and messaging apps like Instagram and WhatsApp, then entice them online or present them with what appeared to be profitable investment options, Uwujaren told reporters.

Following their addiction, individuals were forced into sending money for fake cryptocurrency schemes and other nonexistent activities.

Uwujaren stated that the overseas kingpins hired Nigerian teammates to scout victims online via phishing, mostly targeting Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, and a few others from European nations.

According to him, the foreigners would take over the actual duty of scamming the victims once the Nigerians were able to gain the trust of potential victims.

Lastly he added, the Commission was working with foreign partners and will investigate any possible connections to organized crime. He claimed that during the raid, its agents confiscated cars, phones, and computers.

The news comes after an Asian report of a similar nature. A deepfake romance scam that duped people out of almost $46 million through bogus cryptocurrency investments was busted by Hong Kong authorities in mid-October.