The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, NPF–NCCC in collaboration with the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and the US Secret Service have arrested three high-profile internet fraud suspects in Lagos and Edo State.
The suspects were allegedly involved in targeted
cyber-attacks against the email systems of major corporate organisations mostly
in Nigeria.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin
who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said the suspects carry out the
crimes “through the deployment of phishing links and malicious software”.
The statement noted that the arrest followed credible and
actionable intelligence received from Microsoft Corporation, FBI, which
revealed the “use of a sophisticated phishing toolkit known as RaccoonO365”.
The Force PRO said the toolkit was designed to create
fraudulent Microsoft login portals aimed at harvesting user credentials and
unlawfully accessing the email platforms of corporate, financial, and
educational institutions.
He said, “Consequently, the NPF–NCCC initiated a
coordinated, intelligence-driven operation in collaboration with Microsoft, the
FBI, and the United States Secret Service.
“Investigations traced multiple incidents of unauthorised
Microsoft 365 account access between January and September 2025 to phishing
emails crafted to closely mimic legitimate Microsoft authentication pages.
“These activities resulted in business email compromise,
data breaches, and financial losses across multiple jurisdictions.
“Acting on precise and actionable intelligence, NPF–NCCC
operatives were deployed to Lagos and Edo States, leading to the arrest of
three suspects.
“Search operations conducted at their residences resulted in
the recovery of laptops, mobile devices, and other digital equipment, which
have been linked to the fraudulent scheme after forensic analysis.
“Further investigations identified Okitipi Samuel, also
known as “RaccoonO365” and “Moses Felix,” as the principal suspect and
developer of the phishing infrastructure.
“Investigations reveal that he operated a Telegram channel
through which phishing links were sold in exchange for cryptocurrency and
hosted fraudulent login portals on Cloudflare using stolen or fraudulently
obtained email credentials.
“Notably, investigations revealed no evidence linking the
two other arrested individuals to the creation or operation of the phishing
scheme.
“The Nigeria Police Force reaffirms its steadfast commitment
to safeguarding Nigeria’s digital space through the deployment of advanced
technology, strengthened international partnerships, and diligent investigative
and prosecutorial processes aimed at effectively countering evolving cyber
threats”.
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