It has been revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has dispatched a team of investigators to Cameroon in a case involving 602 suspected cyber-criminals. Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered that 90 suspects have already been arrested in the cities of Yaounde, Douala, Bamenda, Buea and Kumba.

The 602 Cameroonian alleged cyber-criminals are accused of having scammed via Facebook 2,700 people. The amount is estimated at 4 billion FCFA. In March 2017, the FBI gave the Cameroonian authorities a list of the 602 suspected cyber-criminals. Local media reports say some of the suspected criminals have pleaded guilty and have made public their mode of operation.

The Cameroonian gang used false Face book profiles, belonging to white people, to rip off their victims. Interested customers, paid as well as with the shipping costs, by Visa or Master Card. The victims had to provide details of their cards to the scammers via Facebook. This enabled them to make withdrawals from Cameroon.

The trial of these cyber-criminals has opened at the Court of First Instance at Mfoundi in Yaoundé.

By Rita Akana
Cameroon Intelligence Report