24.07.2021 – 15:41
Fraud with identities, documents, bank accounts for the benefit of large monetary amounts. Two days ago, the Tirana Police, Unit C – Cybercrime Investigation in the Investigation Directorate, Criminal Police Department and the General Directorate of State Police, under the direction of the Prosecution at the First Instance of the Tirana Judicial District, conducted the police operation “PHISHING” arresting four people for “computer fraud”, two of them foreigners. These people through fictitious companies they have managed to defraud companies from 9 countries, from the US, England, Lithuania, Turkey to the Philippines, causing a damage of about 4 million euros in 2 years.
The Tirana Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Prosecutor Elisabeta Imeraj has joined two proceedings, one of December 24, 2020 and the other of July 14, 2021, as they were dealing with the same fact and the same suspects.
An information came from a second level bank stating that from an e-mail address from Mr. Holger Schauenburg, as a representative of the international company Bornemann Far East LTD, has been informed that someone is trying to deceive their business partners through an account opened in this bank in Albania. The account was in the name of the business “Connecta Intercontinental shpk”, owned and administered by Nigerian citizen Ugochukwu Emmanuel Emereibenu. This entity has opened this account on December 7-10, 2020. This citizen has also opened an account for the company WorldWide Go LTD where he is both owner and administrator.
From the moment of opening the accounts until the day of sending the information, there was no incoming payment for any of the accounts of his businesses, but their activity in Albania is very suspicious and from the data that have been analyzed it is suspected that these accounts are used to obtain international payments through the “Phishing” typology.
Nigerian who has a residence permit for foreigners from September 25, 2019 to September 25, 2020 on August 13, 2020 has established the company World Wide Go LTD based in Durres, with the object “General Supplies”, import-export of goods where is even the sole partner.
Also, on September 16, he registered the subject “Connecta Intercontinental” with the address of the street “Kongresi i Lushnjës”, with the activity “sport management”.
The 38-year-old Nigerian, equipped with a Nigerian passport until April 23, 2024 had entered Albania from Rinas, where he had come from Istanbul and returned again on February 24, 2020 to Istanbul and no longer has entry, while signing for the opening of the bank account was made on October 7, 2020. He had declared an address in Tirana. This citizen is the only one with these generalities who has entered and left the Republic of Albania.
The person presented to the bank as the owner and administrator of the two companies at first sight turns out to be not the same person as the verified person and that he was the only person who turns out to have entered and left Albania. Nigerian citizen Ugochukëu Emmanuel Emereibenu, 32 years old, with a passport expiring on March 16, 2025 and with a previous passport, the same as another Nigerian citizen, with the same name, surname and date of birth, is suspected of forging a passport or using a passport. another citizen in order to withdraw money from the bank, obtained through computer fraud.
Also in the materials submitted by the bank, is the account opening contract of the company “LekliFarm Global” Sh.pk with administrator Fatbardh Danja, 50 years old, opened on July 24, 2020, while the company is registered on July 9, 2020 in the BCC. The number entered by this company in the bank account opening contract is the same as the number of Nigerian companies.
Also, a standard request was received from Barclay Bank in London for the return of a payment in the amount of 8746.12 USD in favor of the subject “LekliFarm Global” shpk, where after details were requested for advertising the payment, it came as a suspicious case of fraud .
The citizens, Fatbardh Danja, as the owner of Lekli Farm Global shpk, has managed to transfer them through the online platform to an account of a bank outside the territory of the Republic of Albania. According to the data administered during the opening of the bank account of LekliFarm Global shpk, it was ascertained that its owner was accompanied by a person of color who was most likely an African citizen.
The prosecution says that there are suspicions that these citizens have opened companies which are suspected to be fictitious and are used for the purpose of withdrawing funds from legitimate businesses and then not returning these funds.
Also from the field verification actions it was ascertained that the Ugochuk citizen Emmanuel Emereibenu went to some second level banks to perform banking operations.
It also turns out that Fatbardh Danja has contacts with a citizen named Donald and since the verification it turns out that he is a citizen Ugochukwu Emmanuel Emereibenu and he moves with the vehicle with license plates AA 263 UB. It is suspected that Ugochuk citizen Emmanuel Emereibenu is the same person as Donald Fonkem Anu, who should be his real name.
During this period, the citizens of Ugochuk, Emmanuel Emereibenu (Donald Fonkem Anu) and Fatbardh Danja had several meetings with third parties, which were evidenced by the actions on the ground.
Also, the subject Emereibenu (Donald Fonkem) from the field operations has continuously frequented the exchange points.
On 15 April 2021 around 11:15 the citizen Ugochukwu Emmanuel Emereibenu (Donald Fonkem) together with the suspected citizen Marie Estelle Goufan Atiock with his vehicle AA 263 UB took a person in Kombinat who from the verifications turned out to be the citizen Xhentil Kupe .
Then the citizen Marie Estelle Goufan Atiock and the citizen Gentil Kupe entered the branch of another bank in Kombinat, while the citizen Ugochukwu Emmanuel Emereibenu (Donald Fonken) stayed in the vehicle.
From the verifications carried out in that branch, Xhentil Kupe has gone to make a withdrawal of about 41 thousand euros on behalf of his firm “GS Ecometal Co LTD”, opened on March 30, 2021 with sole partner Xhentil Kupen. The object of this firm is the purchase and sale of precious stones, gold and rare metals as well as all kinds of minerals. Also from the verifications, Xhentil Kupe was arrested in 2010 as a suspect for the theft of the Church of St. Mary in Voskopoja, where some chandelier holders and a part of the iconostasis were stolen.
On April 26, 2021 Gentil Kupe as administrator of “GS ECOMETAL CO LTD” conducted a power of attorney at the notary and stated that he has appointed legal representative Ugochukwu citizen Emmanuel Emereibenu (Donald Fonkem).
The criminal offense “Computer Fraud” provides, inter alia:
“Introducing, altering, deleting or deleting computer data or interfering with the operation of a computer system, in order to provide to ourselves or third parties, fraudulently, an unfair economic benefit. The same act, when committed in collaboration, to the detriment of several persons, more than once or when it has brought serious material consequences… ”
From these data, according to the prosecution, it results that Fatbardh Danja, from Shkodra has consumed the criminal offense of computer fraud, after changing the computer data to create false data, in order to use them as authentic, for an unfair economic benefit .
* Phishing is a type of social engineering attack often used to steal user data, including login credentials and credit card numbers. Occurs when an attacker, disguised as a trusted entity, tricks a victim into opening an email, instant message, or text message.
