Financial Fraud: Police Makes Arrest in Connection with Patricia Security Breach

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force – National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCC) have arrested one Amb Wilfred Bonse in connection with Patricia Patricia Technologies Limited security breach.

Recall that Patricia, one of Nigeria’s leading crypto marketplaces announced in May 2023 that it experienced a severe security breach that compromised its financial assets.

As a result of the cyberattack, customers have been unable to withdraw their funds from Patricia for over six months, leaving them agitated.

In a bid to resolve the issue, Patricia  provided an option for customers to convert their balances into company shares. While consider it, others have reported unclear discussions regarding potential partnerships with the crypto exchange.

In a latest development, Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi disclosed in that the NPF-NCCC has made significant strides in its investigation of the financial fraud case reported by Patricia.

According to Adejobi, the case involves criminal conspiracy, unauthorised modification of computer systems, network data, and the unlawful diversion of funds amounting to over Two Hundred Million Naira as contained in a petition to the Inspector General of Police.

Outlining the details of the alleged theft, conversion of cryptocurrency wallets, and unauthorized fund diversion from the company’s Flutterwave account, the petition specifically mentioned some individuals currently at large.

The Police spokesperson explained that painstaking efforts on the trail of the suspects led to the arrest of Bonse.

“Having registered his involvement in the complex crime. Wilfred Bonse, conspired in laundering the sum of Fifty Million Naira (N50,000,000:00k) originating from the fraudulent diversion of Six Hundred and Seven Million Naira (N607,000,000:00k) from Patricia Technology company’s account to his bank account through a cryptocurrency wallet.

“While the investigation is ongoing, the Nigeria Police Force wishes to assure the public that all individuals involved in this criminal conspiracy will be brought to justice”, Adejobi added.

Similarly, the NPF-NCC on November 20, 2023, acting on the heels of credible intelligence, having clinically unveiled the physical and virtual identities and various degrees of involvement of threat actors, coordinated a discrete operation and executed a search warrant at Wumba District, Apo Area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where the trio of Njoku kingsley, Chigozie Okorie, Jideofor Sejus, all male aged 35, 34, and 35 years respectively, were arrested in connection with a case of Conspiracy, Identity Theft and Romance Scam.

Clinical investigation revealed that the suspects, among many other of their gimmicks conspire to jointly impersonate one Anthony James from whose fake profile they individually target their victims and swindle them of their hard-earned resources.

Adejobi stated further that while the suspects have voluntarily stated their involvement in the criminal conspiracy in a written statement, effort is ongoing to notify and disengage all active, and passive victims of the illegal venture, and provide them with the needed and necessary support.

Consequently, members of the cyber community as a borderless state are enjoined to exercise great restraint or totally shy away from establishing resource exchanging relationships on the social media space.

He said the suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.

Also, in a recent investigation carried out by operatives of the NPF-NCCC, Ummukulthum Basha, a dedicated Cryptocurrency enthusiast, found herself entangled in a series of events related to the Kochiken Crypto project.

Having been lured and actively served as a moderator for over three months in the Telegram group @kochikenbsc, the project’s CEO, Sean Andres Delacruz a US citizen became a central figure in her cryptocurrency journey.

After experiencing a significant loss of 20,000 USDT in a fraudulent cryptocurrency trading scheme, Basha sought assistance from Sean Andres Delacruz for recovery.

Assurances were made, promising retrieval through intensive trading with the remaining 180,000 USD.

However, subsequent actions raised concerns as two transfers were made to Sean Andres’ wallet, where a substantial portion was promptly moved to KuCoin through another cryptocurrency platform.

A Solid partnership with the KuCoin platform in line with global best practices unveiled the same Sean Andres Delacruz as the mastermind behind this criminal act.

Discrete investigation brought to light Sean Andres Delacruz’s apparent intent to defraud Basha of her 180,000 USDT by diverting funds through intricate transactions while actively avoiding KuCoin’s verification process.

While collaboration with local and international organizations has resulted in the safe recovery of 179,372.6 USDT, effort to bring the suspect to the books is ongoing.

Adejobi acknowledged the timely collaboration of KuCoin, which played a crucial role in ensuring the protection of the cryptocurrency assets and upholding the integrity of the investigation.

“Consequently, members of the public are urged to be weary of such platforms and promptly report suspicious engagements and platforms to the police.

“Finally, the Nigeria Police Force wishes to raise the alertness of the general public to the proliferation of High yield investment programs that often turn out to be scams.

“While stressing the importance of exercising restrain in patronizing these schemes, members of the public are urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious financial transactions or activities to the Police through the Centre’s e-reporting Portal at https://incb.npf.gov.ng“, he advised”.