- I learnt the internet fraud business in 2015 during my NYSC days – says Yahoo Boy arrested by IRT
A 30-year-old suspected Yahoo Boy, Victor Ojionu, who specialized in hacking into credits cards belonging to Nigerians and foreign nationals during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) days, have been arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for stealing over N500 million within the space of five years.
Victor Ojionu studied Electrical Engineering graduate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State.
It was gathered that Ojionu, who is currently undergoing interrogation at the Abuja office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was alleged to have succeeded in defrauding his victims using a popular online retail site, Amazon.com, where he allegedly sells books.
Sources disclosed that the Imo State-born suspect, designed a payment portal, known as Payoneer, which he linked to his book-selling website on Amazon.com and he steals credits cards details and identities of its owner using his payment portal.
It was gathered further that when Ojionu succeeds in stealing the credit cards details of his victims, he would proceed in buying baby dippers, wipers, wrist watches and other expensive items from another online retail store, Alibaba.com in China and send the purchased items to Ghana, where they would be sold to his waiting buyers.
A source explained that after the items has been sold, Ojionu would travel to Ghana, retrieve his money from his buyers and would send the proceeds to Nigeria through a Bureau de Change operator. The source added that the suspect has succeeded in buying two expensive cars, three mansions in Abuja, Cross Rivers State and his hometown in Imo from proceeds of his scam. It was also learnt that the suspect has a property under construction at Dabo Estate at Life Camp area of Abuja.
Ojionu ran into trouble recently when one of his victims alerted the police and the EFCC about the theft of his credit card details and the subsequent withdrawals from his accounts, running into millions of naira.
The IRT team was drafted to investigate the case and also arrest and hand over the suspect to the EFCC for onward prosecution. It was learnt that Ojionu was trailed to one of his mansions in Abuja and he confessed during his arrest that he was into internet fraud.
The electrical engineering graduate of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, stated that he became an internet fraudster in 2015, during his National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) in Calabar, Cross Rivers State.
“I learned the internet fraud business in 2015 during my NYSC days in Cross Rivers and I bought a house worth N60 million from the deal before I relocated to Abuja, where I bought another house for N65 million. What I do is mainly on Alibaba by trading with hacked credits cards. I buy my goods in China and sell them in Ghana and I bring the proceed to Nigeria where I have invested large portion of it on properties.”
While being paraded, Victor Ojionu confessed that he bought houses worth N125 million during his NYSC days and made over N500 million within five years. He said;
“I learnt the internet fraud business in 2015 during my NYSC days in Cross Rivers State. I bought a house worth N60 million from the deal before I relocated to Abuja, where I bought another house for N65 million.
“What I do is mainly on the Alibaba site, where I trade with hacked credits cards. I buy my goods in China and sell them in Ghana. I bring the proceeds to Nigeria, where I have invested large portion of it on properties.”
Confirming that Ojionu stole over N500 million within a space of five years, security agents said the suspect specialized in hacking into credits cards belonging to Nigerians and foreign nationals, a scheme he used to successfully defraud his victims using a popular online retail site, Amazon.Com, where he allegedly sells books.
“The suspect designed a payment portal, known as Payoneer, which he linked to his book selling website on, Amazon.Com. He steals credits cards details and identities of its owner using his Payoneer, his payment portal.
“Once Ojionu succeeds in stealing the credit cards details of his victims, he would proceed in buying baby diapers, wipers, wristwatches and other expensive items from another online retail store, Alibaba.Com in China, and he would send the purchased items to Ghana, where they would be sold to his waiting buyers.
“After the items have been sold, Ojionu would travel to Ghana, retrieve his money from his buyers and send the proceeds to Nigeria through a Bureau de Change operator. Ojionu has succeeded in buying two expensive cars, three mansions in Abuja, Cross Rivers and Imo states. The suspect also has a property under construction at Dabo Estate at Life Camp area of Abuja, ” a security agent Said.
Trouble started for Ojionu after one of his victims alerted the police and the EFCC about the theft of his credit card details. The complaint further noted that money, running into millions of naira, was removed from his account.
The complaint wrote a petition to the IG, Mohammed Adamu, who then instructed Kyari and his unit to investigate the matter. The suspect was subsequently arrested and handed over to the EFCC.
The IRT operatives trailed Ojionu to one of his mansions in Abuja, where he was apprehended.
