Eleven Filipinos, two Chinese, one Malaysian and one Indonesian were sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of one million naira (about US$630) each in the commercial capital, Lagos, after pleading guilty, said Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spokesman Dele Oyewale.
They were accused of recruiting young Nigerians for “identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality”.
“The judges also ordered that the devices recovered from the convicts be forfeited to the federal government of Nigeria,” Oyewale said.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is saddled with a reputation for internet fraudsters known in local slang as “Yahoo Boys”.
The EFCC has busted several hideouts where young criminals learn their scams.
Cybercrime experts also warn that foreign “cybercrime syndicates” have set up shop in the country to exploit its weak cybersecurity systems.
The EFCC said foreign gangs recruited Nigerian accomplices to find victims online through phishing scams, in which attackers typically try to deceive victims into transferring them money or revealing sensitive information such as passwords.
The scams target mostly Americans, Canadians, Mexicans and Europeans, the agency said.
In December, the EFCC arrested 792 suspects in a single operation in the affluent Victoria Island area of Lagos.
At least 192 of the suspects were foreign nationals –148 of them Chinese, the agency said.
Dozens of other Chinese suspects are also standing trial for similar crimes.
