The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two persons alongside seven others for running internet fraud coaching centres in Benin City, Edo State.

EFCC made the arrests on Tuesday. In a statement released on Thursday, the agency identified Osagie Ogiemwonyi and Onukwugho Favour as the proprietors of the ‘Yahoo’ schools.

“Operatives of the Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, arrested two owners of ‘Yahoo’ schools: Internet Fraud Coaching Centre (also known as HK) and seven suspected internet fraudsters in Benin City, Edo State,” EFCC’s statement read in part.

“The ‘Yahoo’ school owners, Osagie Ogiemwonyi, Onukwugho Favour and seven of their ‘students’ were arrested at their centres following actionable intelligence worked upon by the commission. The seven others are Destiny Ohikwugbe, Chata Okoro, Ighodaro Omede, Ehigie Idemudia, Lawrence Daniel, Raymond Ogiemwonyi Oghosa and Henry Philip.

“Items recovered from the suspects include a Mercedes Benz GLK, Lexus 350, phones and laptops.”

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The so-called ‘Yahoo’ schools use Business Email Compromise (BEC) and advance-fee fraud schemes to steal thousands, and even millions, from unsuspecting victims online.

The United States Department of Justice recently ascribed the origin of BEC schemes to Nigeria.

“Foreign citizens perpetrate many BEC scams,” the DOJ website wrote in August. “Those individuals are often members of transnational criminal organizations, which originated in Nigeria but have spread throughout the world.”