EFCC arrests credit card fraudster
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested Yusuf Balogun Alabi, a suspected credit card fraudster, who allegedly masterminded the theft of $5,400 Canadian Dollars from a catering entertainment outfit in Brantford, Canada. The fraud came to light after a young Nigerian undergraduate of Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia,Tony Ifeoluwa Adebero was arrested in Toronto, Canada on charges of wire fraud.
The youngster who was expecting to receive his tuition from his dad, Mr Adebero Oyewole, did not suspect fraud when his account was credited by his bank. He however became worried when few days after, he got a call from his bank, TD Canada Trust Bank, asking for details of the person who made transfer to his account, within 12 hours.
He immediately called his father who in turn contacted a Bureau de Change operator, Kassim Ishola, who fingered one Idris Oni whom he gave the money to transfer, but Idris mentioned Yusuf Balogun as the man who effected the transfer while Balogun supplied the name Bacon Jamie Cecil as the person that actually wired the funds to Tony in Canada. Unfortunately, Bacon Jamie Cecil was discovered to be a fake name prompting the arrest of Tony in Canada.
The scam was brought to the attention of the EFCC through a June 2, 2017 petition by Mr. Oyewole wherein he informed the Commission that his son Tony was charged to court in Canada for engaging in internet fraud. He explained that sometime in 2016, he approached his bank in Nigeria when he wanted to pay his son’s school fees in Thompson Rivers University BC Canada but had difficulty due to foreign exchange scarcity and the stiff forex regulations at the time. In the midst of the challenge, he met a church member, one Mrs Ibidola, who also had children schooling abroad. She introduced him to a Bureau de Change operator that would help transfer the funds to his son.
Adebero said on 6th September 2016, Tony, informed him via telephone that the Canadian bank, TD Canada Trust Bank called him, requesting for the details of the person who made the transfer to his account. The information according to him was to be provided to the bank within 12 hours, as they suspected a fraudulent transaction. Adebero contacted the Bureau de Change to provide the details.
