Hyderabad: There is no dearth of fraudsters in the country but frauds committed by Nigerian nationals have acquired a particular notoriety. Offering fake jobs abroad to Indians on the Internet has been a common ploy and now Rachakonda police have detected cases where foreign nationals from around 10 countries have been targeted and looted of lakhs in the name of charity and humanitarian causes.
The fraudsters come to India on visit visas and stay on illegally after the visa expires. They used to operate mainly out of New Delhi but when police there cracked down on them, they shifted to Bengaluru. Police said that the main reason for shifting to Bengaluru is the low cost of living compared to Delhi and easier accommodation as Delhi landlords were reluctant to rent out flats to Nigerians after frequent reports of the illegal activities of those who committed the frauds.
A police official said another important reason for choosing Bengaluru is that it is close to the textile hub of Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. With the money earned from cheating, they purchase clothes from Tirupur and send them to Nigeria where they are sold for a profit. The cheating is in the form of offering non-existent jobs abroad, conducting online lottery, and matrimonial frauds, in which gifts are offered to the so called fiancees in the name of love and money running into lakhs is extracted from them. In targeting victims abroad, the method has changed — they now seek donations in the name of charity.
“They send pictures of suitcases filled with dollars and convince their victims that it is meant for charity. As usual, they extract money for ‘customs clearance’, ‘terrorist clearance certificate’ and various other charges,” police said.
