The Cybercrime Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, INTERPOL, National Central Bureau, Abuja, has arrested two suspects, Babatunde Adesanya a.k.a Teddy and Akinpelu Hassan Abass, for allegedly defrauding a German Company of €14.7m in connection with procurement of COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Adesanya, a 50-year-old masters degree holder in Cell Biology and 41-year-old Abass, the M.D of Musterpoint Investment Nig. Ltd, were said to have cloned the corporate website of ILBN Holdings BV, Holland, to transact with and defraud one Freiherr Fredrick Von Hahn, a representative of the German State of North Rhine-Westphali.
According to a statement by the Force Public Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, the duo were members of a sophisticated transnational criminal network and were apprehended following a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) received from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice conveying a request from the German Government for investigations into the fraudulent transaction.
Mba said, ”Discrete investigations by INTERPOL Nigeria revealed that the suspects and their Holland-based cohorts, one Eduardus Boomstra and Geradius Maulder, specialized in identity theft, cyber-stalking, cloning of corporate websites amongst other cyber mischiefs to defraud unsuspecting members of the public across the world. In this instance, the suspects fraudulently obtained from Mr Freiherr Fredrick Von Hahn the sum of 1.5m Euro and another 880,000 Euro as advanced payment for the supply of COVID-19 PPEs valued at 14.7million Euros.
”Disturbed by the non-arrival of the PPEs, Mr Freiherr Fredrick Von Hahn, eventually visited the corporate office of ILBN Holdings BV in Holland to inquire reasons for the delay in supplying the items only to find out that the company never did business with him and that the transaction was a scam. The fraudsters merely cloned the company’s website and falsely presented themselves as representatives of the company before subsequently executing the fraudulent transaction.”
The police spokesman said the victim reported the case of fraud to the police in Holland, resulting in the arrest of Eduardus Boomstra and Geradius Maulder, while investigations were extended to Nigeria.
”Investigation by INTERPOL Nigeria further revealed that Babatunde Adesanya received 498,000 Euro from Eduardus Boomstra and Geradius Maulder through his Citibank London account and transferred same to an account number domiciled with a Lagos branch of a leading commercial bank in Nigeria belonging to Musterpoint Investment Nig. Ltd,” Mba added.
Meanwhile, the police has said suspects will be arraigned in court soon.