Adebayo Soares, Chief Superintendent and Senior Prosecutor, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
Faith Ohamuche, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Deputy Superintendent and Investigator
Adebayo Soares is a counter-fraud, cybercrime, and anti-corruption professional with extensive experience in economic crime, criminal prosecution, and fraud examination. He has a master's degree in Economic Crime and International Criminal Justice and an Executive Diploma in Anti-Corruption and Diplomacy. He is also a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Economic Crime Forensic Examiner, and Certified Cybercrime Investigator.
Mr. Soares has spent over a decade at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria (EFCC) resolving complex fraud, cybercrime, corruption, and money laundering cases, from investigation to prosecution, conviction, and recovery of proceeds of crime. He has also held departmental leadership positions at the Zonal level. Mr. Soares has received a number of accolades, including one for outstanding performance at the EFCC.
Mr. Soares is a trained trainer who has provided training, lectures, and presentations both locally and internationally. He spoke at the 2024 counter-fraud and cybercrime conference at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. Similarly, He gave a presentation at the 2023 Annual General Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) in London.
Mr. Soares has published peer-reviewed articles on cybercrime in journals such as Criminal Justice Studies, Journal of Economic Criminology, International Annals of Criminology, and Deviant Behaviour.
Mr. Soares is a goal-oriented professional with a passion for leadership, teamwork, and problem solving.
As a seasoned Investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), I have led complex investigations into over 500 cases of corruption, money laundering, terrorism financing, and cybercrime, with almost 10 years of experience. With expertise in cybersecurity threat analysis, incident response, and digital forensics, I have developed a strong reputation for delivering results-driven solutions. I am committed to sharing my knowledge and experience to combat the evolving threats of cybercrime and promote global security.
talks & Q&A
Conference | Sep 18
The scale, threat and impact of cybercrime in Europe by West African actors: A case-study analysis
Cybercrime is global threat and needs global understanding.
Description
Cybercrime has become a global menace, with numerous countries enacting laws and policies to respond to its growing threat. However, some countries, particularly those in the West African region, have become notorious for perpetrating financially motivated cybercrimes such as business email compromise, phishing, malicious hacking, identity theft, advance fee fraud, and Cryptocurrency investment scam targeting individuals and corporate entities across Europe and other parts of the world.
This presentation will examine a specific case study of a convicted cybercriminal who, along with his accomplices, fleeced over ten corporate organizations across Europe through phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes, resulting in losses of over three hundred thousand (300,000) Euros.
BACKGROUND
Nigeria, in particular, has been ranked fifth in the world in terms of cybercrime threat level, trailing only Russia, Ukraine, China, and the United States. This presentation is significant given the notoriety of cyber-attacks and/or cybercrimes launched by West African actors in Europe and other parts of the world.
Why the committee chose this talk
Seeing that EU companies face threat actors from Africa ("Nigeria scam", et al) it seems reasonable to get more insights into the threat landscape.
Objectives
The presentation will:
- Examine the techniques used by the cybercriminal, including how the victim organizations may have contributed to the success of the cyber-attack.
- Discuss the measures organizations can adopt to prevent and mitigate similar attacks.
- Highlight best practices for investigating cyber-attacks within an organization.
- Explain how cybercrime investigators and prosecutors dismantled the cybercrime syndicate, recovered assets, and secured the conviction of the cyber-organized group.
METHODOLOGY
The presentation will analyse law enforcement and judicial data, as well as case studies, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the cybercrime threat landscape.
CONCLUSION
This presentation is significant given the growing concern of cybercrime threats from West Africa. By examining a specific case study and highlighting best practices, this presentation aims to raise awareness and provide actionable insights for organizations to mitigate and prevent similar attacks.
Note-This is a first-time proposal that has not been presented at any previous event/conference.
