Lekki is a den for internet scammers as EFCC arrests 402 in Lagos

402 suspects have been arrested for internet-related fraud in Lagos by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the second quarter of the year.

The anti-graft agency said in a statement on Friday, September 3, 2021 that the Lekki area of the state is a breeding ground for all manner of cyber fraud syndicates.

The Cyber Crime division of the EFCC's Lagos Command arrested 159 suspects in 18 sting operations between April and June 2021.

70 of the suspects were arrested in Lekki, comprising communities such as Ajah, Badore, Victoria Garden City, Sangotedo and Oniru.

The Advance Fee Fraud division of the agency was responsible for the remaining 243 arrests made all over the state.

"The suspects are mostly millennials, with 82 of them aged between 25-34 years, which speaks to the fact that most of the individuals arrested are either still in school, recent graduates or university drop outs," the EFCC said.

Data also showed that 64% of those arrested were involved in romance scams and benefitted to the tune of N8.3 million, US$349,290, £900, €10, and cryptocurrency worth 0.17513.

Other suspects were arrested for forgery, possession of fraudulent documents, spamming, credit card fraud, impersonation, rental scam, loan fraud, Business Email Compromise, hacking, stealing, cheque scam, phishing, and money laundering.

"A total of $12, 512.49USD was recovered from the e-wallet accounts of four suspects within the period," EFCC said.

13 of the suspects have already been convicted in court.