Man arrested for defrauding BDC operators of $12,000

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a 38-year-old man, Raheem Wasiu, for allegedly defrauding Bureau De Change (BDC) operators in the South-east of $12,000.

In a statement on Facebook, the EFCC said Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officers arrested Mr Wasiu and handed him over to the EFCC's Enugu Zonal Directorate.

The commission stated that the NSCDC acted after a BDC operator, Stanley Ezekulie, petitioned them, claiming Mr Wasiu defrauded him of $5,000.

As the investigation went on, the EFCC found out that the suspect used the same trick on other victims.

"During the investigation by EFCC operatives, it was discovered that the suspect rents different Toyota Hilux trucks, pretends to be a wealthy contractor, travels with escorts, and meets BDC operators in the South-east. He allegedly tricks them into giving him their money by showing fake alerts in naira after collecting their cash," the statement said.

One of the victims, Mr Ezekulie, explained how he was scammed.

"I gave him the dollars, and he counted it himself. After confirming, he asked for my bank details. When I gave him my account number, he mentioned my name, which showed up on his bank app. I confirmed it.

"Then he told me it had gone through. I waited for the alert, but nothing came. He said I should go, that it might be network issues. I left because of his personality," the BDC operator said.

Mr Ezekulie claimed that soon after, Mr Wasiu stopped communicating with him.

Another victim, Nwaoha Ubaferem from Owerri, Imo State, also said Mr Wasiu defrauded him of $7,000.

Mr Ubaferem shared his experience: "I had $2,600 on me. I called my office to bring an extra $4,400 to make it $7,000 as he requested.

"While we waited, he said he was running late. We moved from Port Harcourt Road to Royce Road, where he finally took the money from me. He started the transfer, called my name, and told me the transfer had gone through. I believed him but kept waiting for the alert."

The EFCC said further investigations showed Mr Wasiu has traveled around the South-east and Akwa Ibom State in the South-south, using the same method to defraud BDC operators.

Items recovered from him included a Hilux truck, ATM cards from different banks, several bank transfer tokens, and a digital National Identification Number slip with the name Sunday Abiodun.

Other recovered items were two complimentary cards with the name Engineer Abiodun, a designer bag, an iPhone 17 Promax, a Samsung phone, a 4G internet pocket MIFI, a Patek Philippe wristwatch, vehicle documents, a gold bangle, and a pair of shoes.

"The suspect will be charged in court as soon as investigations are completed," the EFCC said.