Nigeria arrested 792 people following a raid at a building where people allegedly committed crypto-related scams, Reuters reported on Monday.
The suspects would lure victims, typically from America and Europe, with romantic offers before asking them to hand over money for fake crypto investments, the report said.
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The people, who included Chinese and Filipino nationals, were detained last week at a seven-floor building in Lagos, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren told Reuters.
“Once the Nigerians are able to win the confidence of would-be victims, the foreigners would take over the actual task of defrauding the victims,” he said.
Nigeria has been clamping down on illegal activity related to crypto. At one point it was reported that the country had blocked several exchanges from operating within its borders. More recently the country has been in an almost year-long legal dispute with Binance and its executives over alleged money laundering and tax evasion charges.
CoinDesk reached out to Nigeria’s Economic Financial Crimes Commission for a comment.
