A 30-year-old suspected internet fraudster, Victor Ojionu, who specialized in hacking into credits cards of Nigerians and foreign nationals, has been arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, (IRT) in Abuja, for stealing over N500million within five years.
According to Vanguard, Ojionu who is currently undergoing interrogation at the Abuja office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) succeeded in his nefarious trade by using a popular online retail site – Amazon. Com – where he allegedly sells books.
Sources told Vanguard that the Imo State-born suspect designed a payment portal, known as Payoneer, which he linked to his book website on Amazon. Com and he stole credit cards details and identities of owners using the payment portal.
Our correspondent gathered further that after Ojionu has succeeded in stealing the credit cards details of his victims, he would proceed to buy baby diapers, wipers, wristwatches, and other expensive items from another online retail store, Alibaba. Com in China and he would send the purchased items to Ghana, where they would be sold to his waiting buyers.
A source said after the items have been sold, the suspect would travel to Ghana, retrieve his money from his buyers and send the proceed to Nigeria through a Bureau de Change operator.
“Ojionu has succeeded in buying two expensive cars, three mansions in Abuja, Cross River and his hometown in Imo State. He also has a property under construction at Dabo Estate at Life Camp area of Abuja,” the source added.
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It was gathered that Ojionu ran into trouble recently when one of his victims alerted the police and the EFCC about the theft of his credit card details and the subsequent withdrawal of several millions of naira from his accounts.
The IRT operatives were drafted into the case with the mandate to investigate, arrest and hand over the suspect to the EFCC for prosecution.
He was trailed to one of his mansions in Abuja and confessed to policemen after his arrest that he was into internet fraud.
The electrical engineering graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, said he became an internet fraudster during his youth service in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, in 2015.
He said: “I learned the internet fraud business in 2015 during my NYSC days in Cross Rivers State and I bought a house worth N60million from the deal before I relocated to Abuja where I bought another house for N65million. What I do is mainly on the Alibaba and trade with hacked credits cards. I buy my goods in China and sell them in Ghana, and I bring the proceed to Nigeria where I invested a large portion of it on properties.”
