The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has reacted a viral report that the commission is offering money to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of internet fraudsters, otherwise known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo Boys’.
The anti-graft agency in a statement made available to Journalists by its Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, distanced itself from the public notice, urged the general public to disregard the report.
The commission said the “clarification became necessary following phone calls by citizens wanting to cash in on notices in the social media by fraudsters promising a reward of One Million Naira (N1,000,000) for friends, family, and relatives of Yahoo Boys who hand them over to the EFCC.”
EFCC notice is coming which the hashtags #EFCC and #beagoodcitizen went viral on social media. It reads: “If you have a Yahoo Yahoo boy as family, friend or relative, kindly hand them over to us, and get a massive reward of 1million naira.”
Condemning perpetrators of the public notice, Uwujaren, “Promoters of the hashtags are currently under surveillance and every effort will be made to bring them to justice.
“While the Commission welcomes information that could lead to the arrest of cybercrime suspects, it has no policy of financial reward for such informants.
He added: “The fight against corruption and other forms of economic crime is a patriotic duty and Nigerians are encouraged to embrace it with altruism.
“The whistleblower policy of the Federal Government which the Commission is among the agencies saddled with its implementation is applicable only to public sector corruption.
“The public is warned that the Commission will not be responsible for anyone who falls for this obvious scam.”
