{"id":74869,"date":"2026-07-02T22:52:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/nigerias-efcc-pushes-9-2m-crypto-fraud-case-against-alleged-scammer-after-bitcoin-transfer\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T22:52:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:52:35","slug":"nigerias-efcc-pushes-9-2m-crypto-fraud-case-against-alleged-scammer-after-bitcoin-transfer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/nigerias-efcc-pushes-9-2m-crypto-fraud-case-against-alleged-scammer-after-bitcoin-transfer\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria\u2019s EFCC Pushes $9.2M Crypto Fraud Case Against Alleged Scammer After Bitcoin Transfer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"@container mb-[25px] rounded-sm overflow-clip py-0.5 pr-0.5 pl-2.5 bg-success-100\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-m overflow-clip rounded-[6px] !bg-success-10 p-3 @[420px]:p-m\">\n<h2 class=\"m-0 flex items-center gap-s text-[19px] !text-[#1c1c1c] md:text-[20px]\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"10\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 10\" fill=\"none\" class=\"shrink-0 text-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M1 1.5h14\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M1 8.5h10\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span>Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"m-0 flex list-none flex-col gap-m pl-0\">\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">The EFCC charged Usie Osang for a crypto scam that defrauded an Australian CEO of over $9 million.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">VASPA notes the case counters claims that Nigeria acts as a safe haven for global cybercriminals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Justice Egwuatu ordered the defendant remanded in Kuje custody ahead of a July 14, 2026 bail hearing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>EFCC Charges Suspect Over Crypto Fraud<\/h2>\n<p>Nigeria\u2019s anti-corruption agency has charged a man accused of orchestrating a multimillion-dollar <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/a-quick-introduction-to-crypto\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">crypto<\/a> investment scam that defrauded an Australian investor, officials announced.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/nigerian-anti-corruption-agency-chair-warns-of-crypto-risks-and-calls-for-stronger-regulation\/\">The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission<\/a> (EFCC) arraigned Usie Otukpa Osang before Justice Obiora Egwuatu at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Osang faces eight counts related to a fraudulent scheme involving AUD$8.43 million ($5.6 million) and an additional $3.64 million.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors<a href=\"https:\/\/businessday.ng\/news\/article\/efcc-drags-suspected-crypto-fraudster-to-court-over-alleged-aud8-4m-us3-6m-scam\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> allege<\/a> the fraud took place between May 2021 and May 2022. Osang and several accomplices\u2014who remain at large\u2014used the aliases \u201cOscar Tyler\u201d and \u201cFord Thompson\u201d to deceive Brian Jacques Creigh, an Australian national and CEO of Panacea Capital.<\/p>\n<p>According to investigators, the group convinced Creigh to invest in \u201cLiquid Assets Group,\u201d a fictitious online crypto-trading platform promising massive returns. As part of the scheme, Osang allegedly received 19.806 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.binance.com\/en\/price\/bitcoin\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bitcoin<\/a> (valued at roughly $1.08 million at the time) via a Binance wallet. Osang pleaded not guilty to all charges.<\/p>\n<p>Following the plea, prosecutor Christopher Mshelia requested a trial date and asked that the defendant remain in custody, while defense counsel K.I. Shuaibu applied for bail. Justice Egwuatu ordered Osang remanded at the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/nigerian-prison-doctor-faces-arrest-over-jailed-binance-execs-health-report\/\">Kuje Correctional Centre<\/a> and scheduled a bail hearing for July 14, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>While the high-profile arraignment is being viewed as a step toward altering the perception that Nigeria is indifferent to international cybercrime victims, Rume Ophi, Lead of Programs and Communication at VASPA, pushed back against the country\u2019s reputation as a cybercrime hub.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat narrative is largely an amplified perception that does not reflect the reality of the country\u2019s efforts to combat financial crime,\u201d Ophi told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bitcoin.com<\/a> News.<\/p>\n<p>Ophi suggested that foreign nationals are often the true masterminds behind these operations, recruiting locals to execute them. While acknowledging that more can be done, Ophi emphasized that Nigerian authorities deserve credit for their enforcement efforts and urged the public to promptly report crypto-related scams.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/nigerias-efcc-pushes-9-2m-crypto-fraud-case-against-alleged-scammer-after-bitcoin-transfer\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News ) Key Takeaways The EFCC charged Usie Osang for a crypto scam that defrauded an Australian CEO of over $9 million. VASPA notes the case counters claims that Nigeria acts as a safe haven for global cybercriminals. Justice Egwuatu ordered the defendant remanded in Kuje custody ahead of a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":74870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74869"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}