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In a startling revelation at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, a prosecution witness has shed light on the disturbing recruitment and operational practices of a Chinese-led syndicate accused of cyber terrorism and internet fraud.
Rowland Turaki, a cybersecurity student and the first prosecution witness, recounted his experience of being recruited and instructed to present himself as a female in order to gain the trust of unsuspecting clients, mostly men from European countries.
Testifying in the trial of Xiao Hong Will and Genting International Company Limited, Turaki described how he responded to a job advertisement on Jiji.ng for a lucrative Customer Service role, only to be hired after a simple typing test, without any further scrutiny of his qualifications.
Upon joining the company, Turaki was provided with a script and a chat template, which he was required to memorize over the course of three days.
The template was designed to guide him through the process of befriending clients and gradually gaining their trust, all while posing as a woman.
The witness also revealed the involvement of a model named Amity Smith, who was tasked with providing pictures and videos to make the deception more convincing during video calls with clients.
Turaki’s testimony paints a disturbing picture of the tactics employed by the syndicate, which allegedly involved employing Nigerian youths to engage in identity theft and present themselves as foreign nationals, with the intent of financially exploiting their victims.
The witness further described the coercive work environment, complete with armed police presence and threats of dismissal without pay, which he claimed discouraged any attempts to leave the company.
This case, which is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), sheds light on the growing sophistication of cyber fraud operations in Nigeria and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals.
Newspot Nigeria will continue to follow this case and provide updates as the trial progresses.
