Two suspects were arrested on Monday for allegedly impersonating the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, on Facebook to defraud unsuspecting job seekers.

The Director, Communications and Liaison Department of FIRS, Abdullahi Ahmad, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, saying that the female suspect, who claimed to be a graduate of Imo State University, awaiting call-up for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and her lover were nabbed and currently in police net at the FCT police command in Abuja.

He disclosed that a team from the intelligence and investigation unit of the FIRS nabbed the duo following a complaint by their victims and thereafter handed them to the police.

According to him, the male suspect claimed to have owned a failed boutique business and confessed that he started impersonating the FIRS chairman on Facebook since March 2020.

Mr Ahmad narrated how the suspect also created a phantom Facebook account as a director of the service with the name Alhaji Tanko.

“He confessed that he opened two false Facebook accounts in the name of the FIRS chairman and the fictive Alhaji Tanko and populated one of the accounts with pictures of Mr Nami and the other with the internet-generated pictures of an innocent person to stand for Alhaji Tanko.

“Through an elaborate scheme, the male suspect proceeded to represent himself to unsuspecting job applicants whom he directed to one Kayode who in reality is the female suspect and his girlfriend.

“Kayode would then redirect their victims to the fictitious Alhaji Tanko, who in reality is the male suspect and the mastermind of the crime,” he explained.

The spokesperson noted that the male suspect had confessed that he charged as much as N350, 000 per victim.

“The suspects also confessed to have impersonated the Head of Service of the Federation to defraud job seekers in the past.

“They also confessed that the FIRS  chairman knew nothing about their fraudulent activities as they had never met or had any kind of communication with Mr Nami.”

Mr Ahmad added that the FIRS  had consistently alerted the public to the activities of these kind of fraudsters, again cautioned Nigerians not to fall a victim to their antics.