The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has alerted the public about the impersonation of its operatives by fraudsters who obtain money and other valuables from unsuspecting members of the public.
EFCC disclosed that intelligence available to the Commission indicates that several ingenious but fraudulent methods are being employed by criminal elements to tarnish its reputation.
“For instance, there is a gang of fraudsters now operating around popular eateries or funspots in our major cities. Their modus operandi is laying ambush for innocent youths coming out of the eateries and harassing them on unfounded suspicions of being internet fraudsters and dispossessing them of their valuables.
“These characters usually portray the identities of authentic EFCC officers by dressing in fake uniforms and moving their victims to locations bearing fictitious resemblance to an EFCC office. There is also a gang of itinerant criminals harassing innocent motorists on the identities of their number plates. These ones wield dangerous weapons to compel their victims to offer them money on trumped-up accusations,” the Commission stated.
The anti-graft agency also revealed the existence of online impersonators and fraudulent content creators who stage fake sting operations, complete with scenes of broken doors, shattered windows, and forced entry into premises.
It noted that such misleading portrayals could deceive unsuspecting members of the public into wrongly holding the Commission and its officers responsible for the actions of impersonators.
EFCC urged members of the public to be circumspect in their evaluation of claims intended to tarnish its image, stressing that the Commission has standard operating procedures for all its activities, as well as appropriate channels for reporting grievances against any operation or officer.
The agency reiterated its commitment to its mandate of ridding the nation of economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption.
It further urged Nigerians not to allow their judgment of its work to be influenced by the activities of impersonators, blackmailers, and other fraudulent individuals using the identity of the Commission to advance their criminal interests.
