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Olugbemi. Adeyinka Ogunleye
4 days ago
Overview
How Chinese employer recruited me into cybercrime in Lagos Jobseeker
A witness in the trial of a Chinese national accused of a massive internet fraud operation in Nigeria recounted her experience before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi on Friday. Jacob Lilian, identified as the First Prosecution Witness (PW1), told Justice D.I. Dipeolu how her job search at Genting International Co. Limited led to her involvement in an alleged cybercrime syndicate run by Ling Yang (a.k.a. Shoa Ming), a member of a 792-person network suspected of engaging in cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud.
Yang, the defendant, alongside Genting International, is facing a four-count charge bordering on cybercrime and advance fee fraud after being arrested in a coordinated operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in December 2024. Yang was apprehended during an “Eagle Flush Operation,” a surprise raid on the company’s Lagos office, which led to the capture of 148 Chinese nationals, 40 Filipinos, two Kharzartans, one Pakistani, and one Indonesian.
“That you, LING YANG A.K.A. SHAO MING, sometime in December 2024 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with the intent to gain a financial advantage for your employer fraudulently impersonated one Amity by holding yourself out as such, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.” He pleaded guilty to all the charges, prompting his trial,” one of the charges read.
During the court trial, Lilian, who was seeking employment in November 2024, told the court that she came across a job opportunity through a WhatsApp group called “Job Update,” which led her to Genting International’s Lagos office at No. 7 Oyin Jolayemi Street. Lilian told the court that upon her arrival, she was not asked to provide her credentials but was instead directed to a computer where she took a speed test.
She said, “As of November 2024, I was in search of a job and so I joined a WhatsApp group called Job Update, which was where I got to know about the job that stated customer service and only an address written as No 7 Oyin Jolayemi Street, Lagos. On getting there, I was not asked to present any CV or documentation, and when I got in, I was required to sit in front of a computer. I thought I was about to have an online test, but rather I did a speed limit test that was set to be 30 and I got 28.”
Lilian added that she was encouraged to improve her speed and subsequently given a job with the company. “No credentials were required or asked for, and I was not given any offer letter,” she said. According to her, the company provided accommodation for her on the Island, and she moved in. She also testified that she was later given a script to read, adding that she was told that was her job. “On the script, there was a name, Alani Thomas, and I was asked to read the script further and to get familiar with any customer assigned to me and chat with them,” she said.
Testifying further, she stated that Europeans were the main targets and that she was usually introduced as Alani Thomas. “The WhatsApp group is being monitored by the employers, and once names are exchanged and I start to get to know the customer, by the third day of chatting with the customer, once they are at ease with me, I will be asked to stop chatting with the customer, and then the employers will take over the chatting,” she said.
She disclosed that her monthly salary was N250,000 and that the Nigerian employees had seat numbers and computers allocated to them. Lilian disclosed that she wanted to resign from the job, but the company had a way of caging them and monitoring their activities. “We were always escorted by security officials from the office to the accommodation, and we were never allowed to leave the office premises. Before we start working for the day, we have to submit our phones. The EFCC arrest was a saving grace for me,” she said.
Prosecution counsel applied for an adjournment to enable it to tender the computer with the scripts in evidence. Justice Dipeolu adjourned the case till April 11, 2025, for continuation of the trial.
Credit: Guardian
