'Internet fraud academy' busted in Nigeria

Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency says it has arrested 23 people undergoing training in internet fraud scams in a remote village in the south of the country.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says the suspects - aged between 19 and 35 - were being trained on how to carry out romance and trading scams, as well as identity theft.

This is the biggest so-called internet fraud academy that the EFCC has busted in its long battle against cyber-crime.

A total of 34 laptops and 21 mobile phones were seized during the raid on the building in southern Akwa Ibom state, the EFCC said.

The suspects would be charged once investigations were concluded, it added.

People trained to commit romance fraud usually trawl through profiles and piece together information such as wealth and lifestyle, in order to manipulate their victims.

They cover their tracks by masking IP addresses and using unregistered phone numbers.