Police Nab Online Impersonators In Rivers

Online fraud and crime have taken a new dimension as men now pose as women to lure and defraud unsuspecting members of the public on the internet.
This came to the public view when operatives of the Force Intelligence Bureau Response Team (FIBRT), led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari, arrested a five-man gang of kidnappers which includes a lady in Rivers State, recently.
The suspects, upon interrogation, admitted that they lured men via a prominent online dating website known as ‘Tinder To Lonely Spots’ where they tricked and disposed the victims of their valuables.
The Tide gathered that the arrest was as a result of a petition filed by the family of one Michael Victor to the Police Unit.
A Police source who pleaded anonymity, hinted that Victor’s family had on January 12, 2021 reported to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) that their son had been missing since January 6, 2021.
Based on the petition, actionable intelligence and support from the Technical Intelligence Unit, Force Headquarters, Abuja, the suspect, a 30-year-old man, whose name was given as Eneji Michael alias ‘General’, was arrested.
His two ‘online business partners’, Nwachukwu Emeka, male, and Success Okeke male,  (27) also went under police net.
“We normally pose as women on most of these dating sites. As soon as we lure our victims, we would arrange a meeting. If the target proved stubborn, we would bring in the lady among us to speak with him”, Michael said.
The internet gang leader also narrated how they usually instruct the lady among them to do a video chat with the male victim who insists on sighting a woman before further transaction.
“If the man still insists on seeing the face of the lady, we would go on video chat. We also uses a small Tecno phone that enables us to change our voice from a man’s voice to a woman’s, just to deceive the victim”, he said.
Michael explained further how he met some friends sometime in 2014 and was introduced to online dating fraud.
According to him, they would download pictures of beautiful women and use same to trick men into online dating.
“The lady who works for us is known as Joy. Her role is to pretend to be a single but rich woman who works in an oil company”, he said.
In his confessional statement, Success Okeke, a native of Anambra State, said he was lured into internet fraud operation by Michael who advised him to join online dating when he pleaded with him to show him the  the ‘way out’.
Efforts to reach the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nnamdi Omoni, for confirmation proved abortive as he did not answer or return the calls placed on his mobile phone line.

By: King Onunwor