LAGOS — The Police Special Fraud
Unit, PSFU, has smashed a syndicate
which speclialises in designing
multinational organisations’ websites
to defraud unsuspecting members of
the public, particularly applicants,
and arrested six members.
int.
Among the suspects are a first class
honours graduate and two final year
students of the Federal University of
Technology Akure, FUTA.
The suspects’ modus oparadi,
according to the unit, include using
logos of multinational companies to
place online advertisements for jobs
and scholarships and demanding
application fee from interested
individuals.
Luck ran out for the suspects after
the unit received a petition from the
Organisation of Petroleum Exporting
Countries, OPEC, last August, that a
website designed as ‘OFID
Scholarship Website’ (OPEC Fund for
International Development for World
Student Aid Scholarship) with OFID
name and logo is being used to
defraud unsuspecting Nigerian
applicants.
How they were arrested
Explaining how they were arrested,
spokesperson for the unit, Ngozi
Isintume-Agu, a Deputy
Superintendent of Police, said: “The
petition dated August 22, 2013, said
in the website, applicants were
required to pay a fee of N2,500 and
over 2,000 applicants responded
through FirstBank account number
2020874607 and Access Bank account
number 0056941009 with the name,
OFID WSAS NG.
“The petitioner stated further that it
was one of the victims that
contacted OFID via facebook ,
accusing it of being an accomplice in
the fraud.
“ The Cybercrime Section of the unit
swung into action and the
mastermind of the fraud, one Falade
Oluwapelumi Ayotunde, was
arrested.
“His arrest led to the arrest of five
other syndicate members. Police
investigation so far revealed that
over 2,000 applicants paid N2,500
each into the two bank accounts
provided by the suspects and the
principal suspect is the only
signatory to both accounts.
“Twenty-five- year-old Falade
Olowapelumi Ayotunde, a 500-level
Estate Management student of the
Federal University of Technology,
Akure, FUTA, in his confessional
statement to operatives of the unit,
admitted to have designed the
website of OFID WSAS in June, 2012.
“He, however, claimed that the idea
was sold to him by Fajobi Olalekan
and Bolatiri Opemipo. He also
admitted in his statement that he
opened an account in both banks
with the name OFID WSAS NG for
applicants to pay in their
application fee which many
responded to.
“The suspect who hails from Akure,
Ondo state, further stated that he
and his cohorts printed a postal for
OFIDWAS which was on the website.
I was paid N120,000 for the job
On his part, Asaolu Victor, 25, a
graduate of Mining Engineering from
FUTA, admitted to have assisted to
paste the posters on-line.
According to Asaolu, who is from
Ilesha, Osun State, he was tempted
to assist because of unemployment.
“Yes, I assisted to paste it on-line
and at the end, I was given the sum
of N80,000 and later they added
N40,000, totalling N120,000 for the
job.”
Another suspect, Awote Temitope
Emmanuel, 27, said: “I am a 500
level Estate Management student of
FUTA. I assisted Ayotunde (principal
suspect ) to guarantee the accounts
he opened for the OFID programme
and I was paid N70,000.”
Asked if he was aware that the
scholarship programme was fake, he
nodded in affirmative.
I lent Ayotunde N12,000
Also on his part, 27-year-old Fajobi
Olalekan, a first class Mechanical
Engineering graduate of FUTA and
the best graduating student in his
department for 2012, told operatives
that he only lent the alleged
mastermind N12,000 to host the
website.
According to him, “while in school, I
lived in the same lodge with
Ayotunde. He and his friends were
always coming to me for educational
assistance because of my
intelligence. I once fell a victim of a
scam scholarship known as EDIADS.
“Ayo approached me then and got
some information regarding it which
I believe gave him an idea on how to
design his OFID Scholarship
Website.
“I lent Ayotunde N12,000 which he
used to host the website but he
paid me N20,000 and informed me
that the plan was successful.”
Professional advice
Adebomi Oluwatosin, who is also a
graduate of FUTA, said he only
offered the alleged mastermind
professional advice and also lent him
N100,000 at the initial stage which
was paid back with an additional
N100,000.
Investigation, according to the
Commissioner of Police in-charge of
the unit, Umar Idris, was on-going,
informing that the suspects would
be charged to court soon.
He however, advised members of the
public to verify the authenticity of
any on-line advert before parting
with their money, even as he called
on the victims to visit the PSFU at
Milverton Road, Ikoyi , Lagos in
furtherance of the investigation.
www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/police-nab-first-class-graduate-five-others-internet-fraud/

I thought most First Class graduates get automatic jobs?

What is a First Class Graduate of Mechanical Engineering doing in such business?

Chaaaaaai ..waste of potential

That's how bad Nigeria is...#Imagine a first Class product...#smh

Too bad

Yeahreen: That's how bad Nigeria is...#Imagine a first product...#smh

Best graduating student for that matter. chai! Naija my country.

khaynoni:

Best graduating student for that matter. chai! Naija my country.

He Shld Be Really Ashamed Of Himself

This is very disheartening!

Certainly not first class in character.
Having first class in character is the most important aspect of one's attributes that is sure to see him/her move to the next level.

Unemployment or the hurt frm falling a victim to a job scam is not enough excuse to begin to scam others....two wrongs do not mak a right.