Nigeria fights online fraudsters
Source: news.com.au
Date: November 28, 2003
NIGERIA has set up a presidential panel to tackle so-called "advance fee" fraud and other economic crimes committed via the internet, officials said.
"The internet has become the home of scammers who busy themselves sending all sorts of computer and cyber crimes," said President Olusegun Obasanjo at the inauguration of the 15-member committee in Abuja Wednesday.
He said the government has stepped up measures against the fraudsters, and the new committee would collaborate with existing anti-fraud agencies to stem internet fraud, which has harmed Nigeria's image interationally.
For the past 15 to 20 years, hundreds of thousands of people in Nigeria and around the world have been targeted by fraudsters who contact them by email or fax and offer them high returns if they "help" the fraudsters illegally transfer funds.
Often, the recipients are asked by fraudsters posing as officials of the Central Bank or another government ministry to provide bank details so that money can be transferred out of the country via the victim's account.
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