Authorities say foreign criminals have recruited locals to find victims online, primarily targeting Western nationals

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has arrested 792 people, including foreign nationals, for allegedly engaging in online cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams.

EFCC spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren told reporters on Monday that the suspects, who included 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos, two Kazakhstanis, a Pakistani, and an Indonesian, were apprehended on December 10 at their hideout in the Big Leaf building in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital.

According to Uwujaren, the foreign nationals used the facility to train their Nigerian accomplices how to lure victims with romance offers and push them into handing over money for fraudulent investments. They also used the identities of their Nigerian partners to carry out their criminal activities, he added.

"Their Nigerian accomplices were recruited by the foreign kingpins to prospect for victims online through phishing, targeting mostly Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, and several others from European countries," Uwujaren stated.

He said local staff contacted victims, mostly females, through social media and messaging platforms, including Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram accounts linked to foreign telephone numbers.

"Once the Nigerians are able to win the confidence of would-be victims, the foreigners would take over the actual task of defrauding the victims," he said.

Investigators seized desktop computers, mobile phones, laptops, vehicles, and about 500 local SIM cards that had been purchased for criminal purposes, Uwujaren reported.

He added that the anti-graft agency is collaborating with "foregoing partners to establish the extent of the scam and accomplices, as well as the likelihood of any collaboration with organized international fraud cells." 

Internet fraud activities are not uncommon in Africa's most populous country. A Cybercrime Index report published in April by University of Oxford researchers ranked Nigeria fifth among countries with the greatest cybercriminal threat.

In July, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced it had removed around 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria that were targeting people with financial sextortion scams, including a coordinated network of around 2,500 accounts. The tech giant also said it removed 1,300 accounts, 200 pages, and 5,700 Facebook groups, all of which were based in the African country and provided scam tips.

On Monday, the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said foreigners were "taking advantage" of the country's "unfortunate reputation as a haven of frauds to establish a foothold here to disguise their atrocious criminal enterprises."