20 "Yahoo-Yahoo" Boys in EFCC Net.

Twenty suspected internet fraudsters also known as Yahoo-Yahoo boys in local parlance have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC) in Benin, the Edo State capital. The arrest was carried out in a joint operation with officers of the 4th Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Benin, following intelligence report on their activities a statement from the agency's acting Media and Publicity head,Wilson Uwujaren, said. The suspects were nabbed in a surprise raid on their Cyber office tucked in an old building located on Siluko Road, Benin City. According to Uwujaren, at the point of arrest, the fraudsters had in their possession forty five (45) laptops of different make, 28 telephone sets, eight internet mobile modems and one Nissan car with registration number USL 375 AG. The suspected fraudsters who are mostly in their twenties includes: Idehen Obabueki, Adesa Lucky, Usuagu Uche, Eloghosa Olikiabor, Larry Edomwonyi, Amowie Maike, Francis Ezegbede, Itua Samuel and Endurance John Egbeifo. Others are Amego Ovenseri, Iyen Ighodaro, Philip Agbodori, Lucky Robinson, Nnadi Obinna, Osabuohien Osahon, Chinenu Eze, Peter Sunday, Solomon Ogu, Niyi Femi and Osagie Aghedo. The suspects have made useful statements. Most of them confessed to be engaged in online dating of foreigners particularly widows. They also confessed to using different pseudo names and faces to deceive their prospective victims. They will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded. Recently, the US government said that money lost by United States citizens from advance fee fraud otherwise known as 419 in Nigeria has decreased astronomically from $487m (N73b) in 2001 to $50.4 (N7.5b) in 2011 and that Americans lose over N855,000 ($5,700) per hour to Nigerian scammers and about 15 complaints hit the Internet Crime Complaint Centre per day from Americans who fall victims. The “success rate" of the scammers is also hard to gauge, since many are operating illegally and not keeping track of specific numbers. One individual estimated that he sent 500 emails per day and received about seven replies, citing that when he received a reply, he was 70 percent certain that he would get the money.