Abuja:Alleged Nigerian scammers have been exposed while attempting to defraud a victim of US$13,000 by impersonating a popular content creator. The scammers, reportedly operating from Abuja, Nigeria, posed as legitimate recovery experts to trick victims into paying for fake software and activation codes to retrieve money they had lost to scams.
According to Ghana Web, the operation was uncovered by Nano Baiter, a content creator who specializes in investigating online scams. Nano Baiter revealed that the suspects had been monitored for about a month before the team gained access to their computer webcams and recorded their activities.
The scammers allegedly impersonated popular YouTubers, including MrBeast, and scam-baiting channels like Scammer Payback and Ulogy Media. Nano Baiter warned viewers against responding to individuals claiming they can recover stolen funds through comments on YouTube or by directing victims to Telegram.
Victims were reportedly directed to Bitcoin ATMs to send cryptocurrency or asked to buy gift cards from local shops, sharing the codes with the scammers. Evidence of these transactions was found on the suspects' computers, along with involvement in romance scams and identity theft.
To further expose the scammers, Nano Baiter and a fellow scam-baiter named Gambit created a website designed to record footage of the suspects, asking users to claim Bitcoin and requiring access to their cameras and locations for verification. This method helped capture additional footage of the suspects, who were confronted during a call.
The investigation also uncovered an online platform allegedly used by the suspects to exchange gift cards for cryptocurrency. Nano Baiter reported an account linked to the suspects to the platform's fraud prevention team and also informed Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The video did not specify whether any arrests or formal charges had been made following the investigation.