Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the arrest of 792 suspects in a raid on a suspected hub for international online fraud. The operation, carried out on December 10, targeted the Big Leaf Building, a seven-storey luxury facility in Lagos believed to be a base for romance scams and fake cryptocurrency schemes.

Among those detained were 148 Chinese nationals and 40 Filipinos, EFCC spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren said in a statement. The building reportedly housed a call center where fraudsters primarily targeted victims in the Americas and Europe through social media and messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram.

“The suspects lured victims with promises of romantic relationships or enticing investment opportunities,” Uwujaren said, explaining how victims were eventually pressured into transferring funds for non-existent cryptocurrency investments and other fraudulent projects.

The EFCC revealed that the scheme operated with a clear division of labor. “Nigerian accomplices were recruited by foreign kingpins to identify and bait potential victims through phishing and online interactions. Once the Nigerians gained the victims’ trust, the foreign operatives took over to execute the actual fraud,” Uwujaren explained.

During the raid, EFCC agents confiscated computers, mobile phones, and vehicles believed to have been used to facilitate the crimes.

Uwujaren added that the anti-graft agency was working closely with international partners to investigate further links to organized crime networks.

The scale of the operation underscores Nigeria’s ongoing battle with cybercrime, which has increasingly drawn global attention. This latest bust highlights the growing sophistication and cross-border nature of such fraudulent enterprises, with the EFCC pledging to intensify its efforts to combat financial crimes in the region.