This article contains graphic content that may be disturbing to sensitive readers.
Cyberfraud has taken a dark turn in Nigeria, with scammers using body parts mixed with potions prepared by witch doctors to defraud their victims.
For a decade, Nigeria’s Yahoo Boys have cheated millions of unsuspecting victims with advance-fee ‘419’ scams using Yahoo! email accounts. The ‘419’ refers to the section of Nigeria’s Criminal Code that deals with fraud and its related charges and penalties.
419 scammers contact victims, particularly foreigners, via email or social media, posing as wealthy individuals with business opportunities. To claim the supposed reward, victims are asked to pay various fees upfront. Once the initial amount is paid, the scammer requests additional payments, often claiming complications or unexpected expenses. However, the victim never receives the promised reward, and the scammer disappears with the money.
As these more traditional cyber tricks have lost effectiveness due to increased awareness and enforcement by agencies like Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), scammers are resorting to more extreme measures.
Sadiq Sunday (not his real name) is a 24-year-old with a master’s degree in cybersecurity management. He had recently been arrested on suspicion of internet fraud, and was able to explain the more sinister ‘Yahoo Plus’ variant of this scam to ENACT.
Scammers have begun incorporating spiritual and supernatural elements and mystical rituals rooted in Nigerian culture, known as cyber-spiritualism, into their modus operandi, believing these will enhance their criminal success. ‘Yahoo Plus’ combines typical scams – like business email compromise, phishing and romance fraud – with voodoo and occult practices.
Rituals involving items like used sanitary pads are believed to protect scammers from detection, and increase their success and wealth. An even darker form, ‘Yahoo Plus Plus’, involves human sacrifices, rituals, kidnapping, harvesting body parts and ‘sex with ghosts’ to achieve their aims.
A witch doctor tells the scammers what fresh body part(s) he needs, depending on the scam, for the black magic potion. The scammer must hunt for the body part(s) and mix these into the prepared potion. Sunday said he’d heard that for business espionage and sabotaging data in large computer networks, two left eyes and a young woman’s left breast (she can’t be older than 25) were needed.
For the required body parts, scammers often seek out homeless girls looking for job opportunities, as they’re unlikely to be missed. Sunday, who denies any involvement in Yahoo Plus Plus, explains that scammers use spells from witch doctors to lure victims to specific locations, where they’re kidnapped, drugged and killed, and their organs harvested for rituals. Scammers have even been known to use their own girlfriends. Even though there has been a clampdown on witch doctors, there seem to be limited police investigations into the missing girls, partly due to low reporting rates by families or friends.
With the potion prepared, scammers target online victims equipped with laptops. Once chosen, victims are groomed and hypnotised online, after which they often willingly offer their money and valuables.
Not only Yahoo boys are involved in Yahoo Plus Plus crimes. A complex network involving police officers, bank officials and international criminal networks operates in multiple countries. Abdulrahman Adebowale, Assistant Director Data/Digital Intelligence at the Directorate of Intelligence, told ENACT that fraudsters had set up training schools where recruits were taught how to ply their trade and avoid the law.
An EFCC official who requested anonymity told ENACT that a police crackdown on internet fraudsters in Nigeria had driven Yahoo Plus Plus scammers to the Sahel. Trafficking and smuggling thrive there, especially when there are orders for body parts from abroad.
The emergence of Yahoo Plus Plus scams in Nigeria can be attributed to a confluence of criminal, socio-economic, cultural and technological factors. At its core lies a desire for wealth, particularly among youngsters facing unemployment and poverty. This frustration is compounded by societal influences that glorify displays of affluence and ill-gotten wealth. Adebowale told ENACT that Nigerian youths are socialised into corruption by watching the political class loot public funds.
However, the impact of Yahoo fraud is devastating, affecting individuals, businesses and the nation’s global reputation. In 2022, Nigeria recorded a 174% increase in cybercrimes within six months and, in 2023, the Nigerian economy lost US$706 million through cybercrime. Worldwide, financial losses from cybercrime are projected to reach US$10.5 trillion by 2025.
Efforts to combat Yahoo Plus Plus cybercrimes in Nigeria are hindered by weak legal frameworks, insufficient cybercrime infrastructure, and lack of international cooperation. Despite the EFCC’s establishment in 2002 and the 2015 Cybercrimes Act, issues like public awareness gaps, unclear reporting mechanisms and evolving cybercrimes persist. Nigeria’s 2021 cybersecurity policy remains largely unimplemented.
With the Internet Crime Complaint Center ranking Nigeria third for cybercrime in the world in 2023, the government under President Bola Tinubu made addressing Yahoo Plus Plus crimes an election pledge. He said the government would reform and train Yahoo Boys to ‘become tech experts.’ It now has an ambitious and comprehensive plan for improving national cyber security.
Over the past year, the government has implemented several policies, laws and initiatives targeting cybercrime, particularly Yahoo Plus Plus crimes. Specialised units within law enforcement have been established to focus on online fraud investigations. Law enforcement strategies have included increased surveillance, enhanced training for cybercrime units and improved tracking of financial flows linked to these crimes.
So far, the impact has been mixed. Increased arrests and prosecutions have sent a message, but critics argue that these actions primarily target lower-level participants. Dismantling the complex networks and apprehending the masterminds behind Yahoo crimes remains a challenge.
Despite its efforts, law enforcement struggles with the volume of cybercrime cases, raising questions about long-term effectiveness. The sophisticated and transnational nature of Yahoo Plus Plus crimes means perpetrators often adapt quickly, finding new ways to exploit loopholes and evade capture.
Adebowale says it is important to understand the true nature, scope and trends of Yahoo Plus Plus to respond effectively. Addressing the root causes of youth involvement is key, and it is vital for the government to invest in job creation to reduce the allure of scams. Adebowale recommends the government also modernise its cybercrime infrastructure.
Collaboration in the West African region and internationally is also essential to dismantle larger criminal networks operating across borders.
Dr Feyi Ogunade, Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator, West Africa
