Police Warn Nigerians Against Investment and Romance Fraud

The Nigeria Police Force has urged Nigerians to adopt safer online practices to protect themselves against investment scams, romance fraud and sexual extortion.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, Akaninyene Ezima, gave the advice on Saturday in Abuja during the 2026 World Cyber Security Awareness Walkathon.

Ezima said public education was essential to tackling internet fraud, noting that preventing people from falling victim to scams would make the work of law enforcement agencies easier.

“It is not all about enforcement.

"It is more about sensitisation by letting the people know what to do what not to do to avoid being victims of internet criminals,” he said.

He warned that fraudulent investment schemes often attract victims with promises of unusually high returns on investments in the stock market and other financial ventures.

According to him, fraudsters sometimes display fake online dashboards showing growing profits to convince investors to commit more money, only for them to discover later that they cannot withdraw their funds.

Ezima said some Nigerians had lost hundreds of millions of naira, while others had suffered losses running into billions of naira through such schemes.

He also warned about romance scams and sexual extortion, in which criminals exploit online relationships to obtain intimate photographs that may later be used to blackmail victims.

The police officer advised Nigerians to protect their personal information, photographs and financial details and investigate investment opportunities before committing their money.

The warning comes days after Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu cautioned Nigerians against online impersonation, unauthorised access to private accounts and other cybercrime offences.

“Many Nigerians do not wake up to commit cybercrime.

"They stumble into it through small things done casually,” Disu said during the police force’s 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign.

He urged citizens to verify information before sharing it and avoid lending their bank accounts or SIM cards for suspicious transactions.

The police have also encouraged Nigerians to use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication and avoid suspicious links and requests for confidential information.