We use pastors’ bank accounts to beat security— Yahoo boy

A Yahoo boy (internet fraudster) in Warri, Delta State, has alleged that he and others pay money into clergymen’s bank account to beat security.

John (not real name) claimed that when they expect large sum of money that could attract suspicion, they identify pastors with huge cash inflow in their accounts and approach them to allow them to use their accounts to receive the money.

The yahoo boy, in an exclusive chat with Vanguard, said some pastors they approached declined, adding that the choice of pastors was because security agencies would hardly suspect fraud when money drops in the pastor’s accounts.

His words: “We identify some rich pastors to use their accounts when we are expecting some good money.

“Some declined. You know security people will hardly suspect money that enters pastors’ accounts.”

Continuing, he said policemen at checkpoints in Delta make huge cash from them on the road.

“They check our phones at checkpoints. And when they see any white man or woman’s photos in our phones they tell us what to pay and we start negotiating with them,”

He said some of the policemen demanded as much as N200,000 from them before letting them drive off.

When asked how they made the payment, he said the policemen usually provided them with account numbers, adding that the accounts may not be linked to the policemen.

On why they do not report the policemen, he simply said: “Only people with legit money go that far. What do I do for instance to have over N2,000,000 in my account?”

According to him, when they tried to beat police attention by boarding commercial Keke Napep (tricycle)  the policemen still singled them out from the passengers.

“This is why you see us run out of Keke when we see policemen at checkpoints.

“Sometimes we walk pass the policemen on the other side of the road to go and join the Keke, which would have been waiting for us after the checkpoint,” he said.

He said elderly people in their mid-40s and 50s were also in the yahoo business, informing that “Some decent-looking men with families are in this yahoo business.

“You won’t suspect them because they call themselves politicians. You see a politician with no office living large. Some are yahoo politicians.”   (Vanguard)