Alleged scammer and cybercrime kingpin James Aliyu flaunted his extravagant lifestyle on his Instagram account until he was nabbed by Interpol agents at a luxury Sandton estate this week.
Now Aliyu’s Instagram account, “oldsoldier_”, has disappeared.
He is alleged to have conned dozens of victims and businesses around the world, accumulating at least $12m (about R196m) since 2016 through romance scams and business email compromise fraud.
His lavish spending, which he showed off on Instagram, gained him 17,000 followers. However, it appears he was able to delete the account despite being behind bars until his next court appearance.
Aliyu was arrested by Interpol agents at his Sandton home on Wednesday after a six-year investigation by the US department of homeland security investigations unit and the US secret service.
The Nigerian, who appeared in the Randburg magistrate’s court shortly after his arrest, is well known in SA social circles and on Instagram thanks to his lavish holidays and excessive spending on luxury items for himself and his girlfriend.
Photos of his spending habits were a regular feature of his Instagram account. Though Aliyu ostensibly owns six businesses, none of them appear to have any mentions online. Sources close to the investigation into Aliyu alleged his source of money is exclusively fraud.
Sources claimed Aliyu has allegedly been in contact with several convicted and suspected fraudsters from around the world and that he is considered a major player. Aliyu is believed to be part of an international syndicate, some of whose members have already been convicted in the US.
Among the fleet of luxury vehicles he bought with the alleged proceeds of fraud were a Porsche Cayenne, a Mercedes C220d and a Mercedes-Benz G-Class luxury SUV. His social media profiles also show him on luxury island resorts and holidays in Dubai and the US. One picture showed Aliyu travelling in the back of a Rolls-Royce during a visit to the United Arab Emirates.
He came under the spotlight in August last year when Sunday World reported that he accused actress Khanyi Mbau’s boyfriend, Terrence Kudzai Mushonga, of defrauding him in an elaborate luxury R1.2m vehicle scam.
According to the article, Aliyu believed that a R720,000 Mercedes and a R500,000 Jaguar he bought from Mushonga had been stolen and hijacked by criminals he claimed had worked for Mushonga. The latter hit back, saying Aliyu’s money was the “proceeds of crime”.
In March 2020 the Reserve Bank confiscated R231,000 contained in Aliyu’s Standard Bank account under exchange control regulation 22E.
A law-enforcement source close to the investigation said Aliyu and his network of alleged scammers would access email accounts of victims and pose as entities with which the victims were associated. Aliyu would allegedly give the victims false transfer instructions.
Victims, including businesses, would then transfer large amounts of money into “drop accounts” allegedly set up by Aliyu in the names of fictitious businesses; the money would be withdrawn from those.
Aliyu is expected to appear in the Randburg magistrate’s court on Tuesday, where proceedings for his extradition for trial in the US are expected to start.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.