THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has issued an alert warning members of the public especially chief executive officers of government agencies on the activities of a suspected syndicate seeking to defraud heads of government agencies in far removed locations from EFCC offices by issuing letters of invitation to their targets.
According to commission spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the syndicate issue fake EFCC letters to invite the targets asking them to contact a private phone number for the date and time they will report at EFCC office. Also, the tone of the letter is often harsh according to Uwujaren.
“The EFCC wish to notify members of the public about the activities of a syndicate of fraudsters that have been circulating fake EFCC invitation letters to some heads of agencies of government purporting that the letters emanated from the Commission in respect of petitions against them”, Uwujaren said.
He added that one of such letters was sent to the National Engineering Design and Development Institute in Anambra State and entitled, Investigation Activities. “Another letter with exactly the same wording was also sent to the Chief Medical Director of a Teaching Hospital in Delta state only that the name of the supposed officer he was asked to contact and the telephone number were changed”.
He warned that the aim of such letters was to defraud unsuspecting chief executives of government agencies. He then advise
members of the public to discountenance any invitation letter purportedly emanating from the EFCC that contains a personal telephone number of an individual as no authentic EFCC invitation letters bears the telephone number of an operative.
Also, he said that members of the public should ignore any letter purportedly from the Commission that requires them to call anybody to discuss time and date of an appointment. “An authentic EFCC letter of invitation would unambiguously state the date and time an invitee is expected to report and the full name of the officer he is to report to. In addition, interrogations are only conducted in EFCC offices. Addresses of all EFCC offices are available on the Commission’s website (www.efccnigeria.org)”, he said.
Source: Guardian/
