CRIME:EFCC ALERTS THE PUBLIC TO BEWARE AS THEY ARRESTED IMPERSONATORS....

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