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| Izuchukwu Emewulu |
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| Onuabuike Chukwuebuka |
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission has raised alarm over the rising incidences of e-mail spoofing and
account takeover by suspected fraudsters. The trend which targets influential
personalities in government, the professions and the private sector has assumed
a frightening dimension in recent time with not a few people losing their
e-mails to the fraudsters who deploy the accounts to various nefarious ends;
including soliciting funds from friends and acquaintances of the owners of the accounts.
The Commission observed that Yahoo
account owners are the most vulnerable to this scam which has brought much agony
to the victims. So far, effort to engage Yahoo to rein in on the perpetrators
of this heinous crime has not been fruitful. Yet their activities continue to
pose grave threats to the image and integrity of the nation. In view of this, the
possibility of a class action suit against Yahoo by victims who have suffered
severe emotional and financial losses arising from the actions of the hackers
may not be ruled out.
Nevertheless, local banks that have
cooperated with the Commission in the investigation of cases of spoofing deserve
commendation for their diligence and sense of responsibility.
Meanwhile two suspects, Onuabuike Chukuebuka and Izuchukwu Emewulu,
who allegedly hacked into the e-mail account of constitutional lawyer, Bamidele
Aturu were today, March 5, 2013 arraigned before
Justice Olasumbo Olarenwaju Goodluck of the High Court of the Federal Capital
Territory, Zuba, Abuja on a five count charge bordering on
intent to defraud and obtain money by false pretence.
One of the charge reads, “that
you Onuabuike Chukwuebuka and Izuchukwu Emewulu and another at large, on
or about the 11th day of January, 2013, at Abuja within the
jurisdiction of this honourable court, did conspire among yourselves to obtain
money by false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8
(a) and punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other
Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006”.
The accused persons pleaded
not guilty to the charge when it was read to them. EFCC Counsel Samuel A.
Ugwuegbulam then asked the court to fix a date for trial and remand the
accused persons in prison custody.
However, counsel to the
accused persons, George C. Anuba urged
the court to admit the accused persons to bail on the grounds that the first
accused person is a sickle cell anaemia carrier and that the offence was
bailable.
Though the bail application
was opposed by EFCC counsel, Justice Goodluck, however, granted bail to the two
accused persons in the sum of two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N250.000.00)
each, one surety in like sum. The surety must be a grade level 14 officer
in the civil service and resident in Abuja.
Chukuebuka and Emewulu’s problem started
on Friday, 11 January 2013 when the duo hacked into the mailbox of Aturu, and
sent messages to his friends and relatives that he was in desperate financial
situation and needed the sum of N120, 000; an amount he promised to pay once he
returned to Nigeria.
Aturu’s friends and family members however contacted
him only to discover that his mailed box had been hacked into by scammers. This
prompted Aturu to report the matter to the EFCC. The complainant said he never
gave authorization for his email account to be used by anyone.
The suspect in their e-mail messages asked
that the money be paid into a First Bank and Diamond bank accounts
respectively. The banks were alerted and the accounts flagged. One of the suspects, Onuabuike was arrested
on Wednesday, 16 January, 2013 at Onitsha branch
of Diamond bank in Anambra
State when he attempted
to withdraw money from the account. When interrogated by operatives of the
Commission, Onuabuike claimed that the second accused collected his account
number and that he did not know he wanted to use it for criminal purposes. The
second accused person was consequently arrested the next day.
The case has been adjourned
to April 30th, 2013.
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