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Two men, Ahmed Sanusi and Busola Obadara, who over the weekend confessed that they have cloned over 250 ATM cards and stolen over N1million from their victims' accounts since August 2009 have been arrested by the police. The two men, both from Ogun State, were caught by the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, at a new generation bank in Abeokuta. They said they chose a fraudulent business because they realised they could make easy money from it.

Explaining their mode of operation, Mr. Sanusi, 28, said he had a website claiming to be the bank's, built for him by an Indonesian. He then sent thousands of e-mails to unsuspecting customers, asking them to reveal their ATM card details.

"When the customer reveals their card information, we will store the information into our laptop and then we'll clone the card with the information and go and withdraw the money from the person's account," Mr. Sanusi said.

Made in China

Mr. Obadara, 32, who said he is an Accounting graduate from Ibadan Polytechnic, claimed he bought the cloning machine and two blank ATM cards from China for about N14,000 through the Internet. He said he learnt how to use it himself by reading the accompanying manual.

"I saw the Read and Write Machine on the net and ordered for it from China through DHL. It cost me $80. I'll then connect the machine to a computer and swipe the blank reusable card in the machine. Automatically the person's details are stored on the blank card," Mr. Obadara said.

Speaking on the arrest, the Ogun State commissioner of Police, Saba Ndagi, said following several complaints of ATM fraud from the bank, a trap was laid leading to the arrests of the accused persons.

"From the bank's reports together with the footage obtained from the ATMs, we identified the suspects. We first arrested Busola and then his partner, Ahmed. We then searched his residence and discovered the cloning machine, two laptops containing personal card details, including pins of the bank's customers and other documents," Mr. Ndagi said.

When asked what they did with all the money they had stolen, they said they had nothing to show for their crime...

"I don't have a car, land or home, nothing. I don't have anything to show for what I have done. The harm has been done already. I don't have anything to say anymore. My mind is not stable," said Mr. Obadara.


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