Nigeria’s anti-corruption police have shut down 800 scam websites and busted 18 syndicates of email fraudsters. “Over 800 fraudulent e-mail addresses have been identified and shut down,” Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss Farida Waziri said. “There have been 18 arrests of high profile syndicates operating cyber-crime organisations,” she added.
Microsoft lends a hand
In a statement EFCC, which has previously relied on raiding cyber cafes and complaints from the public to clampdown on the crime, said it has now adopted smart technology working in conjunction with Microsoft, to track down fraudulent emails. The operation, dubbed “Eagle Claw” should be able to forewarn around a quarter of million potential victims when fully implemented within the next six months.
Nigeria has a history of email fraud
Nigeria has the notorious reputation of being the center of email fraudsters. Spanish police arrested 23 people in March, mainly Nigerians, suspected of running an email and letter scam thought to have defrauded over 150 people in the United States and Europe. The gang sent out thousands letters every day to potential prey. Victims were swindled of their money when asked to pay processing fees or supply their bank account details into which non-existent funds were promised to be transferred. Some of the email fraudsters hacked into private email accounts of prominent personalities and sent e-mails to their contacts claiming to be stranded and asking for emergency cash.
How you can prevent email attacks
Mailprotector’s services help prevent many of these types of email scams. Our services are great for keeping spam, viruses, Trojans, phishing and other email-borne malware and attacks from reaching your user’s inbox. Contact us today to learn more.
Related posts:
