EFCC Alerts Nigerians About ‘COVID-19 Scams,’ Asks Financial Institutions To Be Diligent

Acting Chairman, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu

The General public have been advised to beware of fraudsters using the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to defraud unsuspecting victims.

The advice was given on Wednesday by the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, at the Makurdi office of the EFCC.

Represented by the Head of the Advance Fee Fraud, AFF Section of the anti-graft agency, Philips Stephanie, Magu called on “financial institutions and Designated Non-Financial Institutions, DFNIs, to always apply due diligence in handling online financial transactions to stem the growing rate of cybercrime in the country.”

A statement issued on Wednesday by Spokesman of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said the commission’s boss said fraudsters were on the “prowl promising innocent Nigerians access to palliatives from the government, in a bid to manipulate their banking details against them.”

Magu was quoted to have said: “Do not accept calls from unknown person purporting to be in charge of distribution of palliatives on behalf of federal government or asking you to send details of your bank account.

“He explained further that there are regulations from Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, guiding the operations of the, Point of Sales (PoS) operators.

“He stressed the need for financial institutions and DNFIs to always ensure that they keep to the dictates of the law in their operations and warned that the EFCC would not tolerate any breach of extant laws.”

The EFCC boss lamented the impact of cybercrime on the economy, stressing that it was a crime with multiplier effects.

“People are losing their jobs on a daily basis as a result of cybercrime”, he said.