Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives have arrested a man identified as Osang Usie Otukpa, accused of scamming 139 Australians out of $8 million through a cryptocurrency investment scheme.
He was arrested at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, immediately he arrived from United States.
In a statement issued by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale revealed that Otukpa used different fake identities to enable him defraud people such as Ford Thompson, Oscar Donald Tyler, Michael Haye, Jose Vitto, and Kristin Davidson.
It was through a cryptocurrency platform called Liquid Asset Group, that he used to lure people to invest in.
The statement reads: “Operatives of EFCC have arrested a suspected online fraudster, Osang Usie Otukpa, for allegedly duping 139 Australians to the tune of $AUD8,000,000.
“He was picked up in a stakeout at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, upon arrival from the United States of America on Friday, December 6, 2024.
“Otukpa, who goes by five aliases—Ford Thompson, Oscar Donald Tyler, Michael Haye, Jose Vitto, and Kristin Davidson—scammed the victims by luring them on social media to invest in his rogue cryptocurrency investment platform, Liquid Asset Group.
“The proceeds of the alleged crimes were routed to his bank accounts through a global cryptocurrency exchange platform.”
Dele Oyewale said that investigations about the matter are currently ongoing before the culprit will be charged to court.