In a bid to evade strategies deployed by law enforcement agencies to end their illegal activities, fraudsters, commonly known as ‘Yahoo boys’, who primarily exploit digital cyberspace to defraud unsuspecting members of the public of their hard-earned money, now resort to various shady means, including seeking spiritual protection to hide their identities, Victor Ayeni writes

The EFCC officials, acting on a tip-off about some suspected fraudsters residing in an estate in the Lugbe area, invaded their compound and in the process, caused a commotion that woke the 26-year-old, making his heart pound rapidly.

Confused and disoriented, Marcel peeked through his curtains, saw an EFCC van parked outside and heard the law enforcement officials moving into his neighbour’s apartment.

With a sense of urgency, the Imo State indigene picked up the phone he had been using for over two years to scam unsuspecting people and rushed to the restroom.

“My hands were shaking but my brain was working like a clock. An idea came into my head to wrap my phone in a nylon bag and that’s what I quickly did. A voice in my mind told me to hide the phone in the toilet tank, but another voice told me they would find it and I would be busted.

“I decided to dip the phone in the toilet bowl and shove it in the connecting pipe. That phone is what I used for ‘bombing and grinding’ and if EFCC finds it, I’m done,” Marcel confessed to Saturday PUNCH.

In Nigeria, Internet fraudsters, aka Yahoo boys or G-boys, are known to make a living by defrauding people online and offline.

Two of the slogans used by members of this criminal network are “bombing” which means finding a victim online and “grinding” which refers to chatting with a victim. These victims are often called “clients” or “magas.”

Before Marcel could fully comprehend what was happening to his neighbour – whom he claimed to be a G-boy – the door to his room was flung open with a force that sent it slamming against the wall.

Several EFCC officers stormed in, their flashlights sliced through the darkness that permeated Marcel’s room. One of the officers stepped forward, and with a stern expression, he said, “We are EFCC, stay where you are.”

As the young man sat there, frozen in a mixture of fear and bewilderment, the officers began their meticulous search. They rifled through his drawers, upended his mattress, and scattered his belongings across the floor.

“Show me your phone,” one of the officers shouted, his tone brooking no argument. Marcel told our correspondent that he denied having a phone as he had recently lost it.

He said, “I don’t think they believed my lie. One of them quickly pointed at my charger which was still plugged into an electric socket and told me ‘Is that not the charger to your phone? What are you charging with it?’

“As I tried to lie, I felt a slap across my face which made me see stars and planets. I started to cry, begging them that I was not a Yahoo boy and that I was just a shoemaker. I showed them the set of sandals I recently made, and they took it and flung it to a corner of the room. It was then I knew it was over for me.

“They started to rummage through my room, searched my drawers, and threw down all the boxes on top of my wardrobe. My room looked like a tornado had swept through it. Then one of them went into the restroom. From where I was seated, I could see him looking through the toilet tank and checking the toilet bowl but didn’t see my phone. Eventually, they all left my room.”

After an hour, when the EFCC enforcement officers had left, Marcel borrowed a phone from one of his neighbours and called his mother, Bridget, who resided in Lagos.

Bridget, a fervent member of a popular Pentecostal church is aware of her son’s involvement in Internet fraud. She had been functioning as a spiritual adviser who prayed for Marcel’s protection from the authorities.

Marcel added, “My mother was almost weeping on the phone. She thought I had been arrested because she had a dream earlier that month that EFCC arrested me and she warned me. She prays for me and I believe so much in her prayers. I believe it was what saved me from being arrested on that day.

“Most of the G-guys living in our flat and estate were arrested, they even arrested some innocent people. One teenage boy who came to stay temporarily with his aunt was one of those arrested. I’m very sure that if they had seen my phone, I would have been caught because it is my hustle pack.”

‘Nigerian princes’

In the early 2000s, a phrase known as ‘Yahoo boys’ was coined to describe young, financially driven persons who utilised Yahoo.com’s email accounts to execute phishing scams, also known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ or ‘419 fraud’ in the Nigerian slogan.

According to Infosecurity Magazine, Internet fraudsters are the original ‘Nigerian Princes,’ who have shifted in recent years to conduct elderly fraud, fake job scams, and romance scams.

Meta clampdown

In its Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report on Wednesday, Meta Platforms Incorporated, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced that it removed 63,000 accounts associated with the notorious ‘Yahoo boys’ scammers.

The accounts, deleted over the past few weeks, were used for financial sextortion scams and distribution of blackmail scripts.

Meta reported that a smaller network of 2,500 accounts, linked to around 20 individuals, primarily targeted adult men in the United States using fake identities.

Findings by Saturday PUNCH showed that Nigerian Internet fraudsters operate in different ways ranging from fake job scams to business email compromise and transnational fraudulent schemes.

A notable example Is 40-year-old Ramon Abbas, also known by his Instagram handle, Ray Hushpuppi, who was sentenced to 135 months in United States federal prison sometime in November 2022.

A prolific international fraudster, Abbas laundered tens of millions of dollars through a series of online scams and flaunted his luxurious, crime-funded lifestyle on social media till his arrest in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in June 2020.

Tainted luxury life

In Nigeria, G-boys are often known to flaunt their luxurious, crime-funded lifestyles on social media. They often show off their luxury cars, posh houses, sultry mistresses, and dainty feasts in expensive hotels, clubs, or resorts.

They are mostly bejewelled from head to toe, adorned in designer clothes, and spend money lavishly with their friends – an activity that is called “balling” within their circles.

Other slang used by Internet fraudsters include ‘gbenusi,’ a Yoruba word that is used to connote celebrating or throwing a big party after a successful deal, ‘sana wole’ which means beginning a party with fireworks, and ‘picker,’ a code-word for someone who helps in opening foreign bank accounts and receive money, then helps them forward such money to Nigeria.

EFCC incessant raids

Earlier this month, the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed that several international companies had shut down their Nigerian operations following massive theft of their finances through local wire fraud.

According to a statement by the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC chairman noted that in 2022, over $500m was lost due to the activities of Internet fraudsters.

He said, “The alarming statistics continued with Nigerian banks losing over N8bn to electronic transfer fraud in the first nine months of 2022.”

Acting based on intelligence reports of Yahoo boys who lodge in hotels and lavish money at nightclubs, EFCC operatives have been raiding hotels to arrest cybercrime suspects.

In June, EFCC officers, in the early hours of Saturday, raided two hotels and event centres located in the Alagbaka area of Akure, the Ondo State capital, and arrested over 50 suspects including a soon-to-be groom who was celebrating his bachelor’s eve at one of the targeted clubs.

The anti-corruption agency also allegedly seized numerous vehicles, laptops, high-end smart phones, and other items during the operation.

On March 11, operatives of the Lagos Zonal Command of EFCC also arrested 45 suspected Internet fraudsters in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, following an intelligence report on the activities of an organised cybercrime syndicate network, operating in that axis of the state.

Items recovered from them at the point of arrest included exotic vehicles, sophisticated mobile devices, and laptops.

Similarly, in February this year, EFCC operatives arrested 36 suspected Internet fraudsters in the Gbokoniyin and Yetedo areas of Abeokuta, Ogun State.

In the same month, officials of the anti-graft agency also arrested 14 suspected fraudsters at a ‘Yahoo Academy’ (believed to be a training centre for soon-to-be Internet fraudsters) in Makurdi, Benue State.

Similarly, in July 2021, about 30 suspects were also arrested by EFCC operatives during a raid on the Parktonian Hotel in the Lekki area of Lagos State.

Concealing identities

However, to hide from the eagle eyes of the anti-cybercrime institution, our correspondent gathered that many suspected Yahoo boys have resorted to adopting different tactics to conceal their illegal professional identities.

Some tactics include modifying their public appearances and living a modest lifestyle, a strategy at variance with the stereotypical ways of affluence funded with the proceeds from their fraudulent activities.

When our correspondent reached out to several suspected G-boys, all except a few vehemently declined to speak about their involvement for fear of being hunted down by the EFCC.

Deceitful tactics

During a conversation with a suspected fraudster, identified simply as Olalekan at an eatery in Ibadan, Oyo State, this reporter observed that he looked nothing like the stereotypical image of a Yahoo boy.

The graduate of a public university in Kwara State, who was dressed in a grey flowing robe known as Jalabiya, sported a punk hairstyle and a full-grown beard, while a silver wristwatch adorned his wrist.

A string of prayer beads hung awkwardly from Olalekan’s pocket, and he clutched an Android phone.

“I have to be careful now,” he told our correspondent as he munched on his food. “I was arrested four years ago whilst still in school. I was in my finals but had joined the G-boys because the peer pressure was too much. EFCC officials raided our off-campus hostels one early morning and I was among the G-boys they arrested.

“They seized all our cars, gadgets, and phones and packed all of us to their station. It wasn’t easy there at all. They looked into all of our phones and e-wallets to see something incriminating to link us with cybercrimes.

“They caught me red-handed and I was charged to court and had my photo posted on the EFCC’s Instagram account. They seized my car and laptops and I paid a fine of N800,000.”

After his release, Olalekan said he stayed away from cyber fraud for a while, but according to him, he could not adjust to living as a common citizen.

“Now I dress like a Muslim cleric and use my clean phone when I go out during the day and that protects me from the watch of suspicious security operatives. They all know how we typically look, so I disguise myself so I don’t end up in their net again,” he said.

Fraudulent doctor

In the case of an Ogun State-based suspected Yahoo boy who preferred to be identified as Isaiah, he was introduced to cyber fraud in 2019.

He said, “The street Is not smiling; you hustle so your charger doesn’t blow. Most of my neighbours here are not aware of what I do. I hang a lab coat in my car when I go out and I have an ID card to present, so everyone calls me a doctor. But that is a format and only my guys know the update.”

Narrating the ordeal of one of his friends, Isaiah suggested that some compromised security operatives help them recover their seized property but only under the condition of parting with a humongous sum of money.

Isaiah recounted, “One of my close friends, a confirmed G-guy, came in from Kenya in 2022. He rented an apartment here in Ogun State and the house was furnished with N15m. He lived with his sister and grandmother.

“When these EFCC guys came for him, they dried him up of almost N58m, he was reduced to zero. We had to contribute money for him to return to Kenya. He felt insecure because some policemen also raided his house.

“He did a shady deal with them so they didn’t take him to the office and they released him. He returned to Kenya last year and since then we have not heard from him.”

Isaiah further stated that some cybercrime suspects posed as movie producers and set up foundations, and non-governmental organisations that they used as fronts for money laundering.

“When the EFCC asks for the details, they will point to this and that projects in so and so place and tell them that these are where they make their money, but it’s all a format,” he added.

Hiding in plain sight

An Abuja-based cybercrime suspect who gave his name as Charles, in a voice note sent to Saturday PUNCH, narrated how he was arrested by EFCC operatives in 2022.

He said, “I served here in Abuja and rented an apartment at Lugbe. The choice of this location was deliberate because the word on the streets is that the EFCC usually raids the big areas like Maitama, Asokoro, and Katampe, among other areas where flashy G-boys live.

“The day these guys busted me, they seized my car and everything I had, including all my home gadgets. They asked for the receipt of all these things. I can’t lie to you my brother, a total of N21m was taken from me.

“When I was released, my bank account was reduced to zero, including my Bitcoins wallet. But I found a way to liaise with them to get my vehicle back. They have informants. I know who gave them information about my moves and I was able to track him. It was my landlord’s son who is also a Yahoo guy. They’ve nabbed him too.”

Explaining how Internet fraudsters disguise to evade being detected by the EFCC, Charles said some of the fraudulent suspects secured government employment to conceal their criminal identities.

He said, “Some guys hide under the guise of having government jobs, especially the type of work that enables them to wear uniforms. Some are into big business ventures and some pass them off as family businesses.

“We are in a country where the system doesn’t challenge you for the source of the income you use in starting a business. So you can create a business as a front to protect yourself. Some guys also hide under forex trading and they will tell you they are into crypto.

“Some of these guys parading themselves as tech guys are in our community. And I’m not talking about those boys collecting gift cards or into romance scams, I’m referring to the higher levels like hacking mail, spamming, rendering fake services, and fake investments. They will approach you as investors and insurance gurus and from there they swindle you.

“Some pose as content creators to the public. You will also find big men and children from wealthy homes in the circle too, and there are times you will need their help when you get caught because they have connections. There are different updates involved in this game.”

Cryptocurrency fraudsters

In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, a Crypto trader, Damilola Afolayan, lamented how cyber fraudsters adopted crypto trading as a disguise for their illicit activities.

He said, “They pose as legitimate traders of crypto coins on social media, claiming to buy Bitcoins and other coins at attractive rates. This deceptive behaviour is meant to present them not as Yahoo boys but as crypto traders.

“While the allure of quick gains through cybercrime may seem enticing, the risks and consequences associated with such activities can have lasting repercussions on individuals and society.

“Instead of falling prey to the temptations of fraudulent schemes, I urge these individuals to consider redirecting their skills and ingenuity towards the world of cryptocurrency.”

Afolayan said cryptocurrency offers a decentralised and transparent financial ecosystem where innovation and creativity are celebrated.

“By leveraging their technical prowess and entrepreneurial spirit in the crypto space, former Internet fraudsters can find a legitimate outlet for their ambitions and aspirations,” he added.

Rites for protection

Our correspondent, while carrying out discrete investigations, also discovered that many Yahoo boys seek solace in personal prayers, and protection rites performed by their parents, girlfriends, wives, or religious clerics, who are well aware of their source of income.

Several sources who confided in our correspondent revealed that while physical associations of Yahoo boys exist, there are also virtual ones, whose parents created groups on WhatsApp.

“In these groups, you find parents of G-Boys who call themselves Iya awon omo ologo, meaning parents of glorious children, and they all come together to seek spiritual assistance, strategise, and organise parties to support their children involved in cybercrimes,” a source told Saturday PUNCH.

Also speaking, Michael Hassan, who was acquainted with several cyber criminals, pointed out that most of these Yahoo guys are either involved in voodoo themselves or have their mothers or wives performing the rituals for them.

He added, “I used to have a friend who has been a G-boy since 2012 and he shuttles between Malaysia and Nigeria. One day in 2017, he came around and I visited him in his family house.

“That day we held a welcome party for him and I handled the cooking for the party. While in the market, his mother called to inform me that they had bought chicken for him and that I should just get pepper and other things.

“At home, he was called into the room by his mother while gisting with us and after a while, I wanted to ask him for the chicken his mother was talking about and to also charge my phone in his room.

“As I approached the room, I just felt the urge to peek through and I saw his mum circling the chicken around his head while he knelt. I was surprised. His mother killed the chicken and brought it to me in the kitchen. They eventually served everyone except me. I made up an excuse not to eat it.”

An economist, Oluwaseun Wusu, told our correspondent that economic hardship and the desire for a fast life pushed many youths into cybercrime.

Wusu said, “The major reason for the increase in fraudulent practices is unemployment. I know a guy who stayed for three or four years without a job and resorted to becoming a Yahoo boy. Again, there is economic hardship.

“For instance, during Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, one dollar was N140, but as of 2022, it was N162. Now we have a dollar at N1,520. Additionally, most of our guys don’t want to start small; they want to use the iPhone 14 Promax. Some celebrities are also involved and they use ladies for money laundering.”

Worship centres fingered

Highlighting the influence of religion, Wusu said, “Many Yahoo boys tend to flock to white garment churches, but it should be pointed out that these churches are owned by individuals and are not often officially registered.

“The same applies to these non-uniformed churches and many of them incorporate African traditional rites into their worship. As a member of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, we have strict rules and regulations and these tend to curb the influx of Yahoo boys into our gatherings.”

A member of a white garment church, Sola Omilani, while speaking with Saturday PUNCH, said the claim that G-boys love attending white garment churches is true.

He said, “Many of our clerics perform certain rituals for these guys. Although I think most of these clerics are simply scamming the scammers. I also believe that these clerics merely exploit the desperation of these G-boys and give them fake soaps. These guys inherently believe in voodoo, so they are easily exploited.

“Many of these G-boys perform rituals for protection, yet they still get arrested by the EFCC. Additionally, some G-boys use fetish soaps and flaunt spiritual objects that they believe would protect them from the authorities. I know this because I have friends who are into Internet fraud.”

However, a Lagos-based white garment prophet, Taiwo Lasisi, told our correspondent that the claim that G-boys frequent the church cannot be substantiated.

He said, “There are different people who come to the church and one can’t easily tell who they are. You can’t be going to each member to start asking their occupation. In the church, we will see good and bad people and we embrace all. Our church is not judgemental.

“What usually influences people to join our church is our white garment; the way we sing, and dance, and how we love to be adorned with jewellery. Some people might not be Yahoo boys but with the way they are attired and spend money to fund God’s work, some people would tend to insinuate that they are Yahoo boys.

“We don’t encourage unethical actions, but we welcome people as long as they are our brothers in the faith. We must not alienate people even if they are not clean because they came to meet God for salvation.”

The EFCC spokesman, Mr Dele Oyewale in a phone interview with Saturday PUNCH, noted that the strategies deployed by Internet fraudsters are well known to the agency.

“These disguising tactics by Yahoo boys are well known. It is impersonation and identity theft. That is why they are charged in court.

“This is why if you read many of the charges against them in court, you will find, impersonation, identity theft, and obtaining money under pretences as part of the charges levied against them. Some of them will pose as engineers, but they will be secretly involved in cyber fraud,” Oyewale said. (Saturday PUNCH)

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