By Hugo Odiogor
Fears of massive fraud in the banking and financial sector  have been raised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as Nigerians are alarmed by renewed upsurge in hacking into their personal computer systems and electronic mail accounts, using it to attempt defrauding friends and relatives.

This is coming as the United States approved $130billion to fight hacking and cyber related crimes, with focus on hacking and cyber crime  fraudsters from Nigeria. Washington last week deported a Nigerian for defrauding 70 law firms through cyber crimes.

This came as EFCC said that it has received reports of the use of people trying to use electronic means to divert public funds, perpetuate forgery and fraud.

A Mass communications lecturer at Covenant University Ota told Saturday Vanguard that his computer system was hacked into by an unknown person who used his email to send out mails requesting for the sum of N350,000 as financial assistance.

Another lecturer who is in University of Calabar complained that hackers breached his system and sent mails requesting for 15,000 euros to enable him to return to Nigeria from Spain where he was stranded having lost his money and travel documents to hoodlums who attacked him and made away with his money. Iin both cases, it turned out to be false claims sent out by fraudsters.

Another prospective victim of the hackers who works with Akwa Ibom State government was purported to be in South Africa where he sent email to his friends and relations to send the sum of N300,000 to his wife to foot the medical bill of his daughter. Again, it turned out that it was the handiwork hackers. The prospective victims said they suspected scam and called for confirmation of the content of the emails, only to discover that it was the handiwork of crooks.

With unfolding drama of phone data hacking in Britain, the incident of breaching financial security of people has become  worrisome.

EFCC confirmed that in the past three weeks, it has receivedincreasing complains from bank customers of possible breach of their account details by bank workers The Anti-graft agency, said it has  arraigned one Mr. Cornelius Ochi, a bank manager on a four-count charge, bordering on diversion of public fund, forgery and attempt to launder proceeds of illegal loans and abuse of office.

EFCC arraigned  Ochi before the Federal High Court sitting in Enugu. The former acting manager with a new generation bank hails from Udi LGA of Enugu State. Ochi was alleged among other accusations to have illegally given out loans to some beneficiaries by diverting money from customers’ accounts without their authorization.

According to the EFCC, investigations revealed that during his tenure as the acting manager of the bank, he dipped his hands into the account of customers which was funded to the tune of N10, 832,015.00 (Ten Million Eight Hundred And Thirty-Two Thousand Naira) to grant an illegal loan of N9, 500,000.00 (Nine Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira)  to companies without the consent of the account owner.

EFCC sources said investigations further revealed that following the success recorded in the first fraudulent loan advancement, Ochi again, without the consent of another customer took N10, 500,000.00 (Ten Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira) which he loaned to another company. The anti graft agency said its findings revealed that Ochi forged consent letters of the account owners with which he facilitated the loans to the two companies.

Ochi however pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in sum of — with one surety who must be a Bank Manager or a civil servant of not less than level 16 or Deputy Director or a renowned businessman. The case was adjourned to the 17th of October 2011 for ruling on the bail application.