Teenage ‘Yahoo Boy’ Jailed for Two Years, Sparks Outrage on Social Media

A teenage internet fraudster (also known as a “Yahoo Boy”), Victor Odeh, was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday for creating fictitious accounts on social media platforms to defraud unsuspecting victims, mostly foreigners.

The 19-year-old undergraduate of a tertiary institution in Kaduna was arrested in a sting operation in the state after an investigation showed how he created a fake Facebook account and posed as a white man from Denver, Colorado, to defraud a woman named Rhonda Evans. Odeh is alleged to have conned Evans out of $10,000.

The charge against him read: “between January and July 2023 in Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did commit an offence, to wit: cheating by Impersonation and in such an attempt falsely presented yourself as one Christopher Anderson (a white man from Denver, Colorado, USA) to one Rhonda Evans on ‘Facebook’ (an online social media application) in order to cheat her and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 57 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law 2017 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law”.

Odeh’s conviction has sparked outrage on social media, with many people lamenting how young he is to be involved in an activity such as internet fraud. Some people have blamed the system for failing young boys like Odeh, while others have commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for nabbing criminals like Odeh.

The EFCC has said that it is committed to cracking down on internet fraud, and that it will continue to prosecute anyone who is caught engaging in this crime. The agency has also urged parents and guardians to be more vigilant and to monitor their children’s online activities.

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