At least 2,000 desperate applicants, seeking to work with international organisations have been defrauded after they paid money into a First Bank and Access Bank accounts as application fees. The money, which the fraudsters have scooped, is believed to be over N5 million. Six suspects, who specialised in designing websites of different companies and using such sites to defraud such job-seekers in the country, have been arrested by the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the police, Milverton, Ikoyi, Lagos State.
The suspects are identified as Falade Oluwapelumi Ayotunde (25), Asaolu Victor (25), Awote Temitope Emax (27), Fajobi Olalekan (27), Emmanuel Onaopemipo Bolatiri (25) and Adebomi Oluwatosin (26). Ayotunde is alleged to be the ringleader of the scam and sole signatory to the bank accounts.
He is also said to be a 500 level Estate Management student of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). Olalekan is a Mechanical Engineering graduate of FUTA, with first class honours and the best graduating student in his department in 2012. Victor is a graduate of Mining Engineering from FUTA. Emax is a 500 level Estate Management student of FUTA. Onaopemipo is also a graduate of FUTA and deals on handsets, while Oluwatosin is a graduate of FUTA and currently working with Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro as a Programmer II.
The scam came to the notice of the SFU after it received a petition from OPEC FUND for International Development, dated August 22, 2013. The petitioner alleged that a website designed as “OFID Scholarship Website,” with OFID name and logo has been used to defraud innocent Nigerian applicants.
According to the SFU spokesperson, Ngozi Isintume-Agu, in the website, applicants were required to pay N2,500 as an application fee and over 2,000 applicants responded and paid the fees through the First Bank account number 2020874607 and Access Bank account number 0056941009 with the name OFID WSAS NG. The petitioner added that it was one of the victims that contacted OFID via Facebook, accusing OFID of being complicit in the fraud. “The Cybercrime Section of the unit swung into action and the mastermind of the fraud, Ayotunde, was arrested.
His arrest led to the arrest of five other members. Police investigation so far revealed that over 2,000 applicants paid N2,500 each into the two banks provided by the suspects and the principal suspect is the only signatory to both accounts,” Isintume-Agu said. She added that Ayotunde, in his confessional statement said that he designed the website of OFID WSAS (OPEC Fund for International Development for World Student Aid Scholarship) in June, 2012.
“He said that the idea came from one Fajobi Olalekan and Bolatiri Opemipo. He also admitted that he opened accounts in both First Bank and Access Bank with the name OFID WSAS NG for applicants to pay in their application fee which many responded to. He further stated that he and his cohorts printed a postal for OFIDWAS which was on the website,” Isintume- Agu added. Victor said that like those he defrauded, he was also a job-seeker.
He confessed that he assisted to paste the posters on line and he was given N80,000 initially and later another N40,000 totalling N120,000 for the job. Emmanuel confessed that he assisted the principal suspect to sign guarantor for the accounts he opened in First Bank and Access Bank for the OFID programme and was paid N70,000 which he had spent for his personal effects.
He added that he participated in pasting and publicising the fake OFID Scholarship Programme, adding that he knew from the onset that the OFID Scholarship Programme was a scam aimed at defrauding innocent scholarship applicants but that he still went on to deceive the bank that his friend was honest and the programme genuine. Olalekan is currently working with Dee Xecutor Concept.
He stated that while in school, he lived in the same lodge with Ayotunde and his mates/ friends always come to him for educational assistance because of his intelligence. According to Olalekan, he once fell victim for scholarship scam known as EDIADS, which made Ayotunde to approach him and got some information regarding that one, which he believed gave him an idea on how to design OFID Scholarship Website. He added that he lent Ayotunde the sum of N12,000 for hosting the website.
Ayotunde later gave him N20,000 in return and informed him that the fraud was successful. “Onaopemipo is also a graduate of FUTA. He is currently a handset dealer. He corroborated Olalekan’s statement that they applied for scholarship while in school which turned out to be fake and they shared their experiences with Ayotunde, which gave him an idea on how to design his own fake website with OFID name/logo. He also stated that he lent him N8,000 and was later paid N12,000 with interest.
“According to Oluwatosin, he offered professional advice to Ayotunde and lent him N10,000 and was later given N100,000 as his own share. He confessed that he knew from the onset that it was a fraud, aimed at defrauding innocent applicants, since there was no authority from OFID. Investigation is on-going. Suspects will be charged to court soonest,” Isintume-Agu said.
The suspects are identified as Falade Oluwapelumi Ayotunde (25), Asaolu Victor (25), Awote Temitope Emax (27), Fajobi Olalekan (27), Emmanuel Onaopemipo Bolatiri (25) and Adebomi Oluwatosin (26). Ayotunde is alleged to be the ringleader of the scam and sole signatory to the bank accounts.
He is also said to be a 500 level Estate Management student of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). Olalekan is a Mechanical Engineering graduate of FUTA, with first class honours and the best graduating student in his department in 2012. Victor is a graduate of Mining Engineering from FUTA. Emax is a 500 level Estate Management student of FUTA. Onaopemipo is also a graduate of FUTA and deals on handsets, while Oluwatosin is a graduate of FUTA and currently working with Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro as a Programmer II.
The scam came to the notice of the SFU after it received a petition from OPEC FUND for International Development, dated August 22, 2013. The petitioner alleged that a website designed as “OFID Scholarship Website,” with OFID name and logo has been used to defraud innocent Nigerian applicants.
According to the SFU spokesperson, Ngozi Isintume-Agu, in the website, applicants were required to pay N2,500 as an application fee and over 2,000 applicants responded and paid the fees through the First Bank account number 2020874607 and Access Bank account number 0056941009 with the name OFID WSAS NG. The petitioner added that it was one of the victims that contacted OFID via Facebook, accusing OFID of being complicit in the fraud. “The Cybercrime Section of the unit swung into action and the mastermind of the fraud, Ayotunde, was arrested.
His arrest led to the arrest of five other members. Police investigation so far revealed that over 2,000 applicants paid N2,500 each into the two banks provided by the suspects and the principal suspect is the only signatory to both accounts,” Isintume-Agu said. She added that Ayotunde, in his confessional statement said that he designed the website of OFID WSAS (OPEC Fund for International Development for World Student Aid Scholarship) in June, 2012.
“He said that the idea came from one Fajobi Olalekan and Bolatiri Opemipo. He also admitted that he opened accounts in both First Bank and Access Bank with the name OFID WSAS NG for applicants to pay in their application fee which many responded to. He further stated that he and his cohorts printed a postal for OFIDWAS which was on the website,” Isintume- Agu added. Victor said that like those he defrauded, he was also a job-seeker.
He confessed that he assisted to paste the posters on line and he was given N80,000 initially and later another N40,000 totalling N120,000 for the job. Emmanuel confessed that he assisted the principal suspect to sign guarantor for the accounts he opened in First Bank and Access Bank for the OFID programme and was paid N70,000 which he had spent for his personal effects.
He added that he participated in pasting and publicising the fake OFID Scholarship Programme, adding that he knew from the onset that the OFID Scholarship Programme was a scam aimed at defrauding innocent scholarship applicants but that he still went on to deceive the bank that his friend was honest and the programme genuine. Olalekan is currently working with Dee Xecutor Concept.
He stated that while in school, he lived in the same lodge with Ayotunde and his mates/ friends always come to him for educational assistance because of his intelligence. According to Olalekan, he once fell victim for scholarship scam known as EDIADS, which made Ayotunde to approach him and got some information regarding that one, which he believed gave him an idea on how to design OFID Scholarship Website. He added that he lent Ayotunde the sum of N12,000 for hosting the website.
Ayotunde later gave him N20,000 in return and informed him that the fraud was successful. “Onaopemipo is also a graduate of FUTA. He is currently a handset dealer. He corroborated Olalekan’s statement that they applied for scholarship while in school which turned out to be fake and they shared their experiences with Ayotunde, which gave him an idea on how to design his own fake website with OFID name/logo. He also stated that he lent him N8,000 and was later paid N12,000 with interest.
“According to Oluwatosin, he offered professional advice to Ayotunde and lent him N10,000 and was later given N100,000 as his own share. He confessed that he knew from the onset that it was a fraud, aimed at defrauding innocent applicants, since there was no authority from OFID. Investigation is on-going. Suspects will be charged to court soonest,” Isintume-Agu said.
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