Undergraduate using social media to defraud arrested

 Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, have arrested a 300Level student of the Ambrose Alli University for allegedly using social media to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.

The student, Best Mayaki, 25, studying Library and Information Science, was arrested in Auchi, Edo State.

According to police, Mayaki was involved in myriad of fraudulent activities on social media and used such activities to defraud people.

The police noted that the suspect cloned the website of Lagos State College of Health Technology and allegedly duping several admission seekers of large sums of money.

Mayaki was tracked to Edo State following a petition signed by the Provost of Lagos State College of Health Technology, Dr. Moyo Kasim on the fraudulent activities of one Dr. Odeh Philip Oteche, who cloned the website of the institution and requesting for varied sums of money from admission applicants.

The petition, which was addressed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and later referred to RRS Commander, had cloned admission application and bank details stating that applicants pay N2, 500 for admission form.

Mayaki who was in possession of the phone line given in the fraudulent bank details was arrested with three ATM Cards one of which carried Otache Philip Odeh, the owner of the fraudulent account. Two other ATM cards of Access bank and UBA bore, Abua Sunday. Also found in possession of Mayaki were different soft copies of unfilled custom papers.

Mayaki stated that he was the brain behind the cloning of the institution’s website, adding that he had withdrawn series of deposits made to the accounts by different applicants.

He explained that he went into admission racketing when online custom auction of automobile and seized items failed to yield expected returns. The suspect also disclosed that he also used local and international dating platforms for scams.

Through the cloned institution’s website, Mayaki confessed to have collected deposits ranging from N2, 500 to N157, 000. He also confessed that one Charles and Ganiyu Balogun, now at large, were his accomplices.

He stated that he opened Access Bank and UBA accounts with Sunday Abua for Nigerian Customs auction vehicles and goods. He said that the three Facebook accounts of female custom officers he had been using and pictures of automobiles in display were sourced from Google.