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Nigeria cybercrime syndicate targeting 50,000 firms busted, 11 suspects arrested – Interpol
A high network cybercrime syndicate operating in Nigeria known as SilverTerrier, has been busted.
Eleven people suspected to be members of the gang were also arrested and found with 800,000 passwords targeting 50,000 companies and individuals, according to the latest report from Interpol released on Wednesday.
The international policing agency said the suspects appeared to have targeted as many as 50,000 different individuals and companies via so-called “Business Email Compromise.”
They are said to operate by intercepting emails, either via hacking into accounts or spoofing email addresses, and trick companies into sending funds to the fraudsters rather than business partners with whom they believed they were interacting.
BEC is said to remain the most costly kind of fraud to Americans.
According to the FBI’s most recent annual cybercrime report, losses totalled $1.8 billion in 2020 alone, with global losses estimated to be close to $5 billion in the years between 2018 and 2020. That makes it a far more financially damaging crime than ransomware, one of the better-known kinds of cyberattack.
The SilverTerrier gang is known as one of the more successful BEC fraud groups, said Interpol, adding that initial analysis of one of the 11 suspects’ computers indicated they were in possession of more than 800,000 usernames and passwords, which could potentially have been used to hack into company email accounts.
Another suspect was found to be monitoring conversations between 16 companies and their clients to divert legitimate transactions just as they were about to be made, Interpol said.
Nigeria’s assistant inspector general of police Garba Baba Umar said that working with Interpol, he was able to “give the order to hunt down these globally active criminals nationwide, flushing them out no matter where they tried to hide in my country.”
The report also quoted Craig Jones, Interpol’s director of cybercrime, as saying, “Interpol is closing ranks on gangs like SilverTerrier. As investigations continue to unfold, we are building a very clear picture of how such groups function and corrupt for financial gain… We know where and whom to target next.”
The report also stated that Money Team Cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks tracked all BEC fraud coming out of Nigeria under the name SilverTerrier and found that among the nearly 500 different “actors” involved, they were “often connected through only a few degrees of separation on social media platforms,” showing links between over 120 actors.
Forbes also in the same report quoted Palo Alto as saying it had assisted in the Interpol investigation and provided details on some of the individuals arrested.
“This operation was novel in its approach in that it didn’t target the easily identifiable money mules or flashy Instagram influencers who are typically seen benefiting from these schemes. Instead, this operation focused predominantly on the technical backbone of BEC operations by targeting the actors who possess the skills and knowledge to build and deploy the malware and domain infrastructure used in these schemes,” the company post read.
The company claimed that one of those arrested had previously been apprehended by the FBI in 2018.
“His recent arrest marks one of the first known instances of a Nigerian actor being arrested twice for BEC,” it added. Another suspect was part of an organization called “The Money Team” or TMT , which has ostensibly legitimate businesses, including one that makes professional cakes and another that claims to be one of Nigeria’s biggest travel and tour providers.
Palo Alto claimed one of those arrested in Nigeria for BEC fraud was helping run a seemingly legitimate business.
“After compromising a patient zero, fraudsters analyzed their email correspondence. By enabling special filtering of emails, the cybercriminals ensured that interesting emails (containing payment information) addressed to the victim are first redirected to fraudsters’ fake email boxes or are hidden from the victim in service directories,” a company spokesperson told Forbes.
Group-IB provided Forbes with an example phishing email, showing how the gang posed as legitimate employees and encouraged swift payment into their bank accounts.
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Natasha: Protesters at UN House demands evidence of allegation
Natasha: Protesters at UN House demands evidence of allegation
A civil society organisation, Women for Change Vanguard, yesterday held a peaceful protest at the United Nations House, in Abuja, urging Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to provide concrete evidence to prove her sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The group, led by Mrs Irene Imoh, expressed concern over the damage that has been caused by ‘unsubstantiated allegations’ against public figures in the country.
Imoh stated that while accountability was critical in cases of sexual harassment, allegations must be thoroughly scrutinised to prevent misuse of such claims.
“We gather here today at the esteemed UN House to express our support for His Excellency, the President of the 10th Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio. Over the past few weeks, he has faced significant reputational damage due to unsubstantiated allegations of sexual harassment made by his colleague, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.”
She emphasised the importance of providing evidence when making such weighty allegations of sexual harassment, noting that the burden of proof lies with the accuser.
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“It is important to remember that in any allegation of misconduct, the burden of proof lies with the accuser. If Senator Natasha claims to have been a victim of sexual harassment, we urge her to come forth with credible evidence to support her accusations. The gravity of such claims demands accountability.”
The group also warned against the potential misuse of sexual harassment allegations, expressing concerns about the #BelieveAllWomen movement being applied without due process.
“We are particularly troubled by the growing trend of misusing the #BelieveAllWomen mantra, which can inadvertently shield unfounded accusations against men. This is not the first time Senator Natasha has made serious allegations against a prominent figure. Such actions risk becoming a weapon she wields against men in power, undermining the core principles of our fight against sexual violence.”
The Women for Change Vanguard stressed that false or unverified accusations not only harm the accused but also weaken the credibility of real victims of sexual abuse.
The group further stated that their protest was not just about supporting Akpabio but about ensuring that both parties are held accountable.
“Our peaceful protest today is not merely about demanding justice, it is also about holding both parties accountable. Senator Akpabio must have the opportunity to clear his name, while Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan must show evidence that she was sexually abused.”
Chanting solidarity songs, the protesters carried placards with inscriptions, such as, “We believe in actual victims of sexual harassment not people who weaponise it” and “The burden of proof lies with the accuser”, among others.
The protesters, who submitted a petition to the UN were received by the UN Senior Human Rights Advisor, Adwoa Kufuor, who promised to channel their grievances to senior UN officials.
Natasha: Protesters at UN House demands evidence of allegation
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Abuja sex workers lose case seeking to legalise prostitution
Abuja sex workers lose case seeking to legalise prostitution
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, declined to legalise prostitution in the country, even as it dismissed a suit that sought to enforce fundamental rights of commercial sex workers in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
The court, in a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, while describing prostitution as an immoral act that is alien to cultural values of all the ethnic groups in the country, said it found no reason to stop the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and security agencies, from arresting those that engage in such illicit business.
According to the court, prostitutes have no legal rights to enjoy under any known law or the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
The judgement followed a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/642/2024, which the sex workers filed to bar the FCT Minister and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, from harassing, intimidating, arresting and prosecuting them.
Aside from Wike and the AEPB, other respondents in the legal action that was initiated on behalf of Abuja-based prostitutes, by a Non Governmental Organisation under the aegis of Lawyers Alert Initiative for Protection of Rights of Children, Women and Indigent, were the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, andAttorney-General of the Federation, AGF.
The applicants had through their team of lawyers led by Mr. Rommy Mom, prayed the court to enforce their right to prostitution, in line with all the fundamental human rights that inure to them from the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Specifically, they urged the court to determine whether the duties of the AEPB under Section 6 of the AEPB Act, 1997, extends to the harassment, arrest, detention and prosecution of women suspected of engaging in sex work on the streets of Abuja.
As well as, whether by the provision of Section 35 (1) (d) of the AEPB Act, 1997, women can be regarded as articles or their bodies regarded as goods for purchase.
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Upon the determination of the questions, the applicants sought a declaration that a charge the AEPB entered before the FCT Mobile Court, which referred to arrested women suspected of engaging in sex work as “articles” and considered their bodies as “goods for purchase,” was discriminatory and a violation of Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution.
They sought a declaration that the duties of the board does not extend to the harassment, arrest and raid of women suspected of engaging in sex work on the streets of Abuja.
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Portable: Monarch frowns on ‘King of Street’ chieftaincy title, demands revocation
Portable: Monarch frowns on ‘King of Street’ chieftaincy title, demands revocation
Controversial singer Habeeb Olalomi Okikiola, popularly known as ‘Portable’, is in the eye of a storm again. This time, it is about the conferment of “King of Street” chieftaincy title on him by the Olu of Itori, Oba Abdulfatai Akamo.
Another monarch, Eselu of Iselu Kingdom in the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, has expressed disappointment about the title and demanded its reversal.
He described the action as an abuse of the institution of traditional rulers.
Oba Akinyemi, in an open letter he personally signed and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, said the title as bestowed on ‘Portable’ was strange to all palaces in Yorubaland, and must be reversed to avoid chaos.
The traditional ruler said his colleague Oba should not have generalised the title, but ought to have limited it to his jurisdiction by naming the title “King of Itori Street”.
He called the attention of Chairman of Ogun State Council of Obas and Chiefs, His Royal Majesty, Oba Kehinde Gbadewole Olugbenle, the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland to the untraditional and illegal installation done by Olu Itori.
He added that the decision by Oba Akamo to confer the chieftaincy title on Portable was not well thought out, at a period the singer was being tried before an Ogun State High Court over alleged assault on some government officials.
The open letter read in paer, “The title “King of Street” which Olu Itori gave the controversial musician at His Majesty’s 21st Coronation Anniversary is absolutely unknown in all palaces of Yoruba Land, so given such a title to honour any personality is not only illegal, but a call for chaos if not reversed.
“Using the title “King of Street” can be interpreted as the King of all Streets in the State. This is unacceptable. Olu Itori ought to have limited the title to his domain. Kabiyesi ought to have titled it “King of Itori Street” and the musician would know that his title is only confined to Itori Kingdom.
“All streets in Ogun State have their Kings and they know how they choose them, so this generalization of the title Street should be reversed to prevent any problems in the State and beyond”.
“Apart from the wrong title given to Portable, His Royal Majesty’s decision to install the musician as a Chief was not well thought out because of the unruly and questionable behaviour of the singer who is currently facing a trial in a competent court in Ogun State.
“Giving him a chieftaincy title is like encouraging him to wreak more havoc. An effort that will make the musician live a better life is what is necessary.
“In fact, the unruly self-made kings in the fuji industry have caused lots of divisions among themselves which is entirely different from the love and good legacy the pioneers left behind. Portable is one of the self-made kings who need to refine their lives.”
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