A 30-year-old suspected internet fraudster, Victor Ojionu, who specialized in hacking into credits cards belonging to Nigerians and foreign nationals, have been arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, for stealing over N500million, within the space of five years.
Ojionu, who is currently undergoing interrogation at the Abuja office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was alleged to have succeeded in defrauding his victims using a popular online retail site, Amazon.com, where he allegedly sells books.
The Imo state born suspect designed a payment portal, known as Payoneer, which he linked to his bookselling website on, Amazon.com and he steals credits cards details and identities of its owner using his Payoneer payment portal.
It was further gathered that, Ojionu, has succeeded in stealing the credit cards details of his victims, he would proceed in buying 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.
It was explained that after the items have been sold, Ojionu, would travel to Ghana, retrieve his money from his buyers and he would send the proceed to Nigeria through a Bureau de Change operator.
Ojionu has succeeded in buying two expensive cars, three mansions in Abuja, Cross Rivers State and his home town in Imo State. It was also learned that the suspect, also has a property under construction at Dabo Estate at Life Camp area of Abuja.
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 withdrawals from his accounts, running into millions of naira.
The IRT were said to have been drafted into the case to investigate and to also assist arrest and hand over the suspect to the EfCC for onward prosecution.
It was learned that Ojionu was trailed to one of his mansions in Abuja and he confessed during his arrest that he was into internet fraud.
The electrical engineering graduate of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, stated that he became an internet fraudster in the year 2015, during his National Youth Service Corp, NYSC, in Calabar, Cross Rivers State.
“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 have invested large potion on it on properties,” he stated.
