Let’s join EFCC fight cybercrimes
The rising internet fraud, known as Yahoo-Yahoo, is worsening by the day with many Nigerians detaching themselves from the dangerous trend. No wonder, one begins to express fear for the future generation of Nigerians. “Yahoo-Yahoo” as a phrase, picked its nickname after the international web portal and search engine, describing how the cybercrime offences are […]
The rising internet fraud, known as Yahoo-Yahoo, is worsening by the day with many Nigerians detaching themselves from the dangerous trend. No wonder, one begins to express fear for the future generation of Nigerians.
“Yahoo-Yahoo” as a phrase, picked its nickname after the international web portal and search engine, describing how the cybercrime offences are committed using the web portal as a tool. Most of the crimes are mainly “romance scams”, “employment scams”, “identity theft”, “fraudulent online vehicle sales scams”, “rental scams,” and “lottery scams,” etc, where victims are convinced they won an international lottery but must pay fees or taxes before receiving the payout are the usually bait traps to hoodwink their unsuspecting victims.
These entire schemes for making money by dishonest means are to convince or ensnare their victims into believing that they are in legitimate business whereas they are all scams.
These forms of crimes are gradually ravaging the hope of the young Nigerians by taking them away from hardwork, entrepreneurship and academic yearnings.
Just a few weeks ago, the US Security agents arrested 281 ‘Yahoo-Yahoo Boys’ worldwide and the disturbing fact is that whooping 167 suspects are from Nigeria, a signal that Nigerian youths are no long pursuing legitimate means of living but through crimes and criminality.
The operation, which resulted in the seizure of nearly $3.7 million, amounting to about N1.3b, is a dangerous dimension.
Though the EFCC’s efforts in its mandate to fight corruption, financial and economic crimes have been commendable but the Commission needs all hands to be on deck to fight the scourge of internet fraud and other forms of corruption in our country.
The EFCC cannot do it alone and therefore, its onus on all Nigerians to join hands with the anti-graft agency and others to nip in the bud this monster called Yahoo-Yahoo boys. The time to do it is now, a stitch in time, they say saves nine.
Idorenyin Ekpoh, Jabi Abuja