By Enyichukwu Enemanna
No fewer than 22 Chinese nationals have pleaded guilty to committing cyber-related crimes in Zambia and are set to be sentenced on Friday, local media report.
They are among 77 suspects arrested in April in connection to what authorities described as a “sophisticated internet fraud syndicate”.
Security agencies had swooped on a Chinese-run company in the capital, Lusaka, following an alarming rise in internet fraud cases in the country, targeting people in countries around the world, a BBC report says.
In April, the country’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) said there have been increasing cases of Zambians losing money from their mobile and bank accounts through money-laundering schemes which extend to other foreign countries.
People in countries including Singapore, Peru, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and others across Africa have also been targeted in the online scam, Zambian authorities said.
Dozens of young Zambians were also arrested after allegedly being recruited to be call-centre agents in the fraudulent activities, including internet fraud and online scams, the DEC said during the arrests.
After a trial that lasted for several weeks, the 22 Chinese nationals, including one female, pleaded guilty to three charges – computer-related misrepresentation, identity-related crimes, and illegally operating a network or service.
The 22, along with a Cameroonian national, were charged with manipulating people’s identities online with intent to scam them.
The accused hold different positions in the Chinese-run Golden Top Support Services, the company at the centre of the raid.
Authorities said the Zambians involved had been tasked “with engaging in deceptive conversations with unsuspecting mobile users across various platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, chatrooms and others, using scripted dialogues”.
Among equipment seized were devices allowing callers to disguise their location and thousands of Sim cards.
Heritage Times HT reports that cyber crime has become worrisome to governments across countries on the continent, an illicit trade that has thrived, linked to lack of formal employment.
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Baffled by this development, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Nigeria has launched an increased clampdown on online fraudsters, popularly called yahoo in the West African country, arresting hundreds of suspects while many have also been convicted.
Last month, the International Police Organisation designated Nigerian Police Commissioner Ifeanyi Uche, as the Chairman of the African Heads of Cybercrime Units, encompassing leaders from 54 nations.
Uche, serving as the Commissioner of Police overseeing the NPF National Cyber Crime Centre, assumes the role from Ratjindua Tjivikua of Namibia, who completed his tenure as head of Cybercrime.
He stressed the importance of legislative support to enact robust cybersecurity laws and regulations.
