OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: x.com
On December 16, 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria conducted a major sting operation at the Big Leaf seven-story luxury office building on Victoria Island in Lagos that served as a hub for Internet-based romance and crypto scams against American and European nationals. 792 suspects were arrested during the raid, with most coming from Nigeria.
- 148 of the suspects were Chinese
- 40 of the suspects were Filipino
- Two of the suspects were Kharzatan
- One of the suspects was Pakistani
- One of the suspects was Indonesian
The scammers were first tested for computer and typing skills before learning how to pose as foreign females in romance scam chats. After two weeks, the scammers would be given fake profiles or WhatsApp accounts linked to overseas telephone numbers to deceive victims into making crypto investments onto http://www.yooto.com/ which requires $35 in account activation fees.
During the raid, police have also seized cars, computers, phones and stashes of SIM cards.