I learnt internet fraud in one week – Teenage fraudster speaks
Joy Anyim
Chigemezu Arikibe, a 19-year-old serial internet fraudster, who had posed as an American pilot on Facebook and Instagram to woe, and defraud unsuspecting women, has been arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), in Imo State.
Arikibe, a Senior Secondary School Certificate holder, and a native of Ibitolu Local Government Area of Imo State, was arrested after he recently defrauded a Cambodian woman, simply identified as Sophanmia, of the sum of $75,000.
Preliminary investigation into the mode of operation of the suspect who pulls deals from his hometown in Imo state, revealed that he visits dating sites, where he would always indicate interest in women who are in dire need of a relationship.
His victims, who did not doubt his identity as an American Pilot, saw him as a prospective suitor, and would always give in to his love advances.
The case was not different for Sophanmia, who the suspect also met on a dating site and told that he was a pilot working for a British airline.
After weeks of numerous conversations with the victim, Arikibe offered to send her expensive gift items, from America and the sum of $500,000, which he said would be invested in real estate business in Cambodia.
Arikibe’s accomplice based in Indonesian, posing as a courier company, had contacted the victim on the parcel. However, Sophanmia never got the said gift or money, instead, she took loans from the bank, which she also sent to the fraudster.
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A police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the victim who later sensed she had been defrauded, ran to the Nigerian Embassy in Cambodia, seeking redress.
The source said : “The suspect had said he would send the items and money in a box through a courier agency and fees would be paid for it clearing. The courier agency from Indonesia contacted the victim and they made her pay a delivery fee of $75,000, while the gifts and money didn’t get to her.
“When she discovered that the said pilot, who was communicating with her was calling her from Nigeria and not the United State of America, she reported to the Nigerian Mission in Cambodia.
“After listening to the victim and analyzing data she provided to them, the mission alerted the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, and operatives of the IRT, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, was detailed to track down the suspect who was discovered to be based in Ibitolu area of Imo State.
“The suspect was arrested with the sim card and the phone used in committing the crime and when we went through the phone, we saw chats between the victim and woman. Upon interrogation the suspect confessed to everything and he also said there was a guy in Indonesia who helped him pulled out the money from a USA bank account.
“He claimed to be an American and that was why he gave the woman an American bank account. The worst was that the woman went and borrowed the money from the bank.”
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Acknowledging the crime, the suspect said he learnt the illicit job from a friend in one week. He said while he used the name, Frank Williams on Facebook, Patrick Williams was his name on Instagram.
According to him: “ I attended Community School, in Eziooha area of Ibitolu. I graduated in October 2018. It was my friend, Ugochukwu, who taught me how to do internet fraud. Ugochukwu used to communicate with Oyibo people on the internet, and whenever he is chatting, I will be looking. I learnt the job from him for one week and I started my own. I opened a fake Facebook account with the name Frank William and on Instagram I was Patrick Williams.
“I used a picture of a pilot which I saw on Instagram. I downloaded his pictures and I uploaded them on my fake Facebook and Instagram pages. I also used the same picture on Instagram and the pilot later discovered that I used his pictures and he started complaining on social media. He even said that he has been arrested three times by the police and he said he is not the one duping people.
“My Facebook account was later blocked, then I focused on Instagram, where I met the client that paid me this money. I followed her and we started charting then I told her that I was from London and I am a pilot. Then I gave her my name and we started discussing about life. Then I told the woman that I wanted to send her some gifts and a large sum of money to her from London.
“I told her that I wanted to send expensive cloths, shoes, wrist watches and the sum of $500,000. I told her that the $500,000 would be invested in real estate business in Cambodia. Then I sent her pictures of the items I wanted to send to her and the money, which would be inside a box. I told her that I have sent the money through a courier company and she would have to pay customs tax.
“My friend in Indonesia acted like the courier company and they contacted her. She was given the first bill of $800, she paid. The delivery guy in Indonesia called the woman again and told her that the goods have been seized and they told her to pay $2700. She paid the money and they asked her to pay another money, which was $6200 and she paid several other monies to have the goods released. She ended up paying the sum of $75,000. I got my share from the money and also settled my friend. ”
