The commission has
arrested one Mohammed Yunusa Tope, who went into a new generation bank in Kano
State, to cash N2million fraud money. The Commission also arrested on Olubunmo
Olalekan who had been churning out fake invitation letters and messages to
prominent citizens and heads of organisations alleging fraud against them from
his Akure base. According to Investigators, Tope is an accomplice to Olalekan.
The Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) image maker, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren , has informed the member of the public to take caution and be alert, according him
this has become necessary because of the activities of fraudsters who have been
impersonating officials of the Commission and extorting money from members of
the public under various guises.
Uwujaren said:
“Despite arrests and successful prosecution of some of them by the Commission,
such syndicates have continued to mushroom and changing tactics as soon as
their latest modus operandiare
exposed. There have been of recent; a worrying upsurge in the number of fake
invitation letters purported to have been issued by the EFCC, which the
criminals are busy sending to unsuspecting members of the public, alleging high
financial crimes against them.”
Uwujaren said
that pliable recipients of some of these letters had lost millions of naira to
these gangsters in their desperation to forestall arrest and possible
prosecution for unstated crimes.
The image maker
said that despite repeated warnings by the Commission, that no genuine EFCC
invitation will request the recipient to call any private GSM number or any
telephone line for that matter and that EFCC will not invite anybody to a
meeting at any place other than the known offices of the Commission, many are
still falling victims of the scam.
“The new
dimension to the criminal exploits of the syndicates, is to send text messages
to would-be victims, alleging that they have pending cases before the
EFCC and offering proposals for a soft landing. This new gimmick is
targeted at politicians, especially those who are aspiring to hold offices in
the next dispensation,” said Uwujaren.
Uwujaren
said that the Commission wishes to state as follows: EFCC invitation letters do
not bear personal telephone numbers. They are usually signed by duly authorised
officers and invitees are clearly instructed to report to a specified officer
at the Commission’s office; No EFCC invitation will require the invitee to report at any
building or location outside the known offices of the Commission; EFCC invitation cannot be
traded off under any circumstance; The Commission does not demand or accept payment,
either to commence or discontinue an investigation; EFCC does not invite persons
under investigation via text messages; Any person who receives an invitation letter should
confirm the authenticity of such an invitation from the Commission through the
following email or telephone numbers:info@efccnigeria.org, 09-9044752 or 09-9044753
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