The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has raised an alarm over a growing trend of cyber fraud involving fake airline ticket promos and investment windows used by scammers to steal Nigerians’ personal and financial information.
In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday, the anti-graft agency said it has uncovered a sophisticated scam in which victims are lured into making small “charity” payments to access seemingly legitimate foreign airline ticket discounts.
The EFCC described the scheme as a new tactic used by fraudsters to install malware and gain unauthorized access to victims’ bank accounts.
“A case in point was a ‘Promo’ offering the public 50% discount on ticket purchase in a leading foreign airline. Victims are led to pay a token of N500 into the account of the airline,” the EFCC stated.
According to the commission, the N500 payment — disguised as a charity donation — enables fraudsters to compromise victims’ devices and extract sensitive information. In many cases, victims were deceived into downloading the airline’s mobile app, which provided further access to their personal data and banking credentials.
Once the information is accessed, the fraudsters transfer funds from victims’ accounts into microfinance bank accounts, and then launder the money through cryptocurrency purchases.
The EFCC also warned of another layer of fraud being perpetrated by what it calls “Account Suppliers” or “KYC Groups” — networks of individuals who pay unsuspecting Nigerians between N1,500 and N2,000 in exchange for personal identity information such as National Identification Number (NIN) slips, Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), passport photographs, and other details.
“Information available to the Commission revealed that the actors are up to 12,000 all over the country seeking account donors,” the statement said, noting that this data is then sold to fintech companies for as much as N5,000 and used in further investment and fraud schemes.
The EFCC disclosed that arrests have been made in connection with the scheme, and efforts are ongoing to recover stolen funds. The commission warned Nigerians not to serve as account donors or surrender personal details for any offer, no matter how appealing, describing the trend as a serious threat to national security.
“The EFCC is committed to safeguarding the financial space of the nation in the overall interests of all Nigerians,” the statement added.
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