The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a suspected internet fraudster, popularly knowns as Yahoo Boy, Awoleye Oluwatofunmi, who allegedly defrauded an American national, Vonapolouis Moss, for $ 1000.
The state Commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, disclosed this while parading the suspect before reporters at the police headquarters, Ilorin, on Friday.
He said the suspect presented himself to the victim as an American on the social media platform, TikTok, with the name, Howard Adams, and defrauded her of $1000.
Meanwhile, a United States female citizen, Vonapolouis Moss, has explained to the Kwara State Police Command how she was tricked into Nigeria by a 23-year-old suspected internet fraudster otherwise known as “yahoo boy”.
Moss of 2962, W 64th Court, Merrillville, Indiana 46410, USA said she was lured into the country on January 9, 2023, by the suspect, said to be an internet fraudster who ripped her off thousands of dollars since her arrival.
She further added that she met him on TikTok, a social media platform and he claimed to be an American by the name of Howard Adams and is currently working in Nigeria, claiming to need 1,000 USD which she was first ripped off.
Narrating the incident, the state police command said the suspected fraudster identified as Joshua Awoleye, a Higher Diploma Student of the Kwara state Polytechnic, Ilorin allegedly lured the foreigner and swindled her of the sum of $1000 when she came to Nigeria.
Parading the suspect at the Police headquarters in Ilorin on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, said that Joshua Awoleye of Sabo-Oke Road, Ilorin lured the foreigner lured whom he met on the internet from the United States of America to Ilorin, Kwara State capital, lodged her in a Hotel and defrauded her of thousands of dollars.
According to the CP, “On January 12, 2023, at about 1200 hours, based on actionable intelligence, operatives of the SCID at the Kwara State Police command arrested one Awoleye Joshua Oluwatofunmi, “male” of Sabo-Oke Road, Ilorin, within the premises of a hotel along Flower Garden Road, Ilorin, in company with one Vonapolouis Moss, “female” an American citizen.
“A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, who is an internet fraudster known as Yahoo Boy, presented himself to the victim on TikTok, a social media platform, as an American by the name of Howard Adams and ripped her off for about 1,000 USD.
“The suspect later took a step further by luring the victim to fly into Nigeria on January 9, 2023, through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, after which she flew into Ilorin the next day and was received by the suspect.
The suspect also deceitfully took an unspecified amount of USD from the victim before she was rescued by police operatives.
“The necessary authorities have been contacted for appropriate action, he said.
Odama said that “the rescued victim has been moved into secure custody by the State Police Command pending her return trip to the USA.”
Speaking in an interview with newsmen, Vonapoloius said that she arrived in the country on Monday night and moved from Lagos to Ilorin on Tuesday morning.
“We met on social media and he invited me to visit Nigeria but when I came, he took me to the bureau de change to change money to Nigeria currency and he also took me to ShopRite. When the money on me finished, he told me to tell my people to send more money.
The foreigner who said that she likes the country’s environment however stated that she likes to go back to America.
“I like Nigeria and I will like to come back but what I want now is to go back to America”, she said.
The Police Commissioner said that though Joshua confessed to being a Yahoo suspect but said that he would not be handed to the Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission but would be investigated by the Police and charged to Court after a thorough investigation of his alleged crime.
