On Monday, September 2, 2019, the Uyo Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), arrested six suspects who specialize in hacking Facebook accounts of unsuspecting victims and defrauding people through the contact list of the hacked accounts .
The perpetrators were arrested in a two-bedroom apartment located at 54 Church Road, at the exit of Calabar Itu Expressway, in Uyo, in Akwa Ibom State.
The suspects are: Lawrence Nnamdi-Mba Ebesike, Prince E. Udeh, Chijioke Victor, Promise Odimba, Ugbor Ifeanyi and Prince Anthony, all aged between 22 and 29 years.
During interrogation, the suspects stated that the apartment, which serves as their residence and office, was rented by Ebesike, who is their boss. They stated that they have made about $4, 000.00 from cyber hacking.
Ebesike confessed to his crime and gave a detailed description of how the group's activities were conducted on Facebook. He also explained that the group also has a US-based partner named Benjamin Best, who said he provides him with the account into which victims pay the ransom.
Ifeanyi, who was caught hiding in a closet with laptop , is an undergraduate student at Abia State University. According to him: “After hacking a Facebook account, I edit it to look like it is a white man’s account and start sending friend requests to many white women and gradually make them fall in love with me. After about two weeks, I ask them to book a vacation spot so I can visit them. I also ask them to send me money.
Udeh, Victor, Odimba and Anthony were also setting up similar accounts and were all trained by Ebesike. Anthony was caught trying to hide his laptop in the toilet water tank.
The court will convene as soon as the investigations are completed.
