Nigeria in big scamster crackdown

[Central Scrutinizer]

The BBC discovers 419 fraud and actually broadcast a news story!

Nigeria's anti-corruption agency says it has shut down some 800 fraudster e-mailers and arrested those behind 18 high-profile "cyber crime syndicates".

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it has been working with the computer giant Microsoft to crack down on the scammers.

EFCC head Farida Waziri said her agency was now using "smart technology" rather than raids on internet cafes.

Correspondents say Nigeria is seen as a centre for web scams and spam e-mails.

Cyber crime has remained a big challenge to Nigeria's security agencies despite efforts made in recent years to counter it.

The con tricks - known as "419 scams" after the penal code that outlaws them in Nigeria - are often run by well-organised gangs.

According to an EFCC statement, Ms Waziri said the new operation, called "eagle claw", would be fully operational within six months.

"It will take Nigeria out of the top 10 list of countries with the highest incidence of fraudulent e-mails," she said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8322316.stm

[Spidey]

Yeah whatever.

[Nanook]

At least the beeb can spell 4-1-9.

[Jessica]

Date Published: 10/22/09

EFCC shuts down 800 scam websites, busts 18 syndicates

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has shut down no fewer than 800 scam websites and arrested members of 18 syndicates behind the fraudulent scheme in a renewed bid to clap down on internet fraudsters through an initiative tagged ” project eagle claw”.

Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Mrs Farida Waziri disclosed in Las Vegas, United States on Wednesday while addressing a gathering of US mayors at the 35 th Annual Convention of Black Mayors on “global vision for local action: a paradigm of connectivity in the African Diaspora”

Top officials of the National Conference of Black Mayors ,NCBM, led by their President, Ms Heather Hudson had during a visit to the EFCC chairman in Abuja on Monday July 29 invited her to address the annual event as part of efforts to foster greater relationship between the US authorities and the anti-graft Commission .

According to Waziri, “We expect that Eagle Claw as conceived will be 100% operational within six months and at full capacity, it will take Nigeria out of the top 10 list of countries with the highest incidence of fraudulent e-mails. At the moment, Eagle Claw has delivered the following results:

“Over 800 fraudulent e-mail addresses have been identified and shut down. The EFCC is fine tuning security modalities with Microsoft and upon full deployment, the capacity to take down fraudulent e-mails will increase to 5,000 monthly. Further it is projected that advisory mails to be sent to victims and potential victims will be about 230,000 monthly.

“There have been 18 arrests of high profile syndicates operating cyber crime organizations.”

While justifying her decision to adopt the latest strategy against cyber crime, Waziri said “Project Eagle Claw is an initiative of the EFCC for the smart use of technology in fighting cyber crime. Hitherto the EFCC structure for combating cyber crime revolved around Cyber raids and Investigation of petitions.

“However the proactive stance of the new leadership required a radical departure and Eagle Claw was developed. When it is fully deployed, it will afford the EFCC the option of either monitoring or shutting down all fraudulent email addresses. The EFCC would also have identified victims and potential victims and advised them that their email has been compromised.”

Her address at the Black Mayors Convention was preceded by series of meetings and interactions with top US government officials on Monday and Tuesday in Washington where issues on Nigeria’s anti-graft war and support for EFCC initiatives topped the agenda.

http://www.pointblanknews.com/os2334.html#

[Cold War Kid]

Good to see they are cracking down on those hamsters!

[Miyuki]

Scamsters, not hamsters.

[Cold War Kid]

Well whatever. Crack down on them. hard.

[clearverbiage]

http://www.contractoruk.com/news/004620.html

Microsoft chases 5,000 Nigerian conmen

Microsoft is fine tuning its security coding as part of a fresh clampdown on Nigerian 419 conmen that has already shut down 800 of their email addresses and smashed 18 fraud gangs.

Once the software giant’s work with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is complete, the operation should see 5,000 hoax email addresses disabled every month.

A system that automatically warns email users of an advanced fee fraud attempt in their inbox should, by then, be benefiting 230,000 people over the same period, the EFCC said.

Head of the commission Farida Waziri said the two-pronged clampdown, of address closures and alert emails, would effectively move Nigeria out of the world’s top 10 senders of e-fraud.

Although the goal has long-been envisioned, the EFCC’s tie-up with internet leaders, such as Microsoft but also reported to include Google, marks an end to its reliance on cyber raids and the investigation of petitions.

Full deployment of the enforcement initiative, codenamed Operation Eagle Claw, should be live within the next six months, signalling that even the latest variant of the 419 scam should be thwarted.

419 scams, named after the relevant section of the Nigerian penal code, typically claim to offer windfalls in exchange for an individual's banking details or payment of a ‘handling charge’ to free up greater sums.

Reflecting on Eagle Claw, Ms Waziri said: “When it is fully deployed, it will afford the EFCC the option of either monitoring or shutting down all fraudulent email addresses.

“The EFCC would also have identified victims and potential victims and advised them that their email has been compromised.”

She defended the “radical departure” away from more traditional enforcement efforts, saying the “smart use of technology” had resulted in 18 arrests of high profile syndicates operating cyber crime organisations.