‘CBN Governor’ arrested in Akwa Ibom

Uche EmmanuelDecember 21, 2019

0 1 minute read

An internet fraudster, Onyebuchi Nwalozie Julius on Friday, December 20 has arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, for impersonating the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Godwin Emefiele.

Onyebuchi, a native of Ngor-Okpala in Imo State, who claims to be involved in Estate Management, confessed under interrogation, that he impersonated the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor, Dr. Godwin Emefiele with email account: [email protected] and defrauded one Mr. Omar Es Sh Deeb.

The suspects whose specialty is Business Email Compromise BEC, said his modus operandi involves searching for email addresses via Google search and sending convincing emails to prospective victims.

Onyebuchi was arrested on December 6, 2019, at Owerri in Imo state. At the point of his arrest, the following items were recovered from him: A HP Laptop Envy with serial number CND62544TZ; HP Laptop with serial number SCD8022CSF; iPhone X; Nokia phone, ECOWAS International Passport-55389766, Drivers Licence and a Toyota Venza with registration No. LSR 23 FQ.

An analysis of the HP Envy Laptop revealed quite a number of scam emails sent by Onyebuchi to one of his victims, an Arabian Omar Deeb, with bogus contract proposals purported to have emanated from CBN, while he posed as CBN Governor. Onyebuchi successfully defrauded Mr. Deeb who remitted funds, thinking he was actually dealing with the CBN Governor Dr. Godwin Emefiele.

Though, Onyebuchi confessed to have benefited as much as N4.5million from his criminal enterprise, the investigation into the scam continues.