Four graduates and two undergraduates of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State – Falade Oluwapelumi Ayotunde (25), Asaolu Victor (25), Awote Temitope Emax (27), Fajobi Olalekan (27) Bolatiri Emmanuel Onaopemipo (25) and Adebomi Oluwatosin (26) – have been arrested for alleged fraud by operatives of Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) for alleged internet fraud.
The suspects were also accused of being specialist in the unauthorized design of organisation’s websites and using them to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
Police alleged that the suspects have defrauded their victims of up to over N5million .
The suspects were arrested following a petition which PSFU received on August 22, 2013,from OPEC FUND for International Development.
Police said the petitioner had alleged that a website designed as “OFID Scholarship Website” with OFID name and logo has been used to defraud innocent Nigerian applicants.
On the website, applicants were required to pay N2,500.00 as application fee and over 2,000 applicants responded and paid the fees through the First Bank Account Number 2020874607 and Access Bank Account Number 0056941009 with the name OFID WSAS NG.
The petitioner stated further that it was one of the victims that contacted OFID via facebook, accusing OFID of being complicit in the fraud.
PSFU spokesperson, Ngozi Isintume- Agu, a Deputy Superintendent told The Nation that immediately the petition was received, operatives of the Cybercrime Section of the Unit swung into action and the mastermind of the fraud, one Falade Oluwapelumi Ayotunde was arrested.
She said: “His arrest led to the arrest of five other syndicate members. Police investigation so far revealed that over 2,000 applicants paid the sum of N2,500.00 each into the two banks provided by the suspects and the principal suspect is the only signatory to both accounts”.
Ayotunde is a from Akure, Ondo State and a 500Level Estate Management undergraduate student of FUTA.
Police said the suspect has made a confessional statement.
According to his statement, Ayotunde confessed that he designed the website of OFID WSAS (OPEC Fund for International Development for World Student Aid Scholarship) in June, 2012.