Gendarmerie Dismantles Cybercrime Network Over Fake Travel Tickets, Mobile Money Fraud
The First Gendarmerie Region has dismantled a suspected cybercrime network accused of selling fake travel tickets and hacking Mobile Money accounts in Yaounde.
The network was uncovered following a complaint from a woman who said she paid FCFA19,000 online for a ticket to Douala through a Facebook page purporting to belong to Touristique Voyages on July 30, 2026.
When she arrived for boarding the following day, however, her name was not on the travel list. Checks by officials of the transport agency reportedly revealed that the ticket had been purchased through a fake website.
Five other passengers were also reportedly defrauded through the same operation. The woman later discovered that FCFA230,000 had been withdrawn from her Mobile Money account.
Investigations by the Judicial Research and Fight Against Major Crime Service of the First Gendarmerie Region, in collaboration with Presidential Guard personnel, led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader, identified as Suffo Patrick, alias “Le Suspendu”, in Awae neighbourhood.
His interrogation reportedly led investigators to another alleged accomplice, who was arrested in Nkomo.
According to Captain Njalong Nan, Head of the Monitoring and Statistics Office at the Judicial Research Service of the First Gendarmerie Region, the main suspect is an expert in creating fake websites for national and international travel agencies.
He is also reportedly a repeat offender, having previously been convicted twice for similar offences.
The suspects allegedly created fake websites imitating intercity and international transport agencies and used them to lure victims into purchasing tickets.
After payment, victims were allegedly asked to send screenshots of their transactions. Investigators say the suspects used the information to establish the balance in their Mobile Money accounts before pressuring them into carrying out several additional transactions, enabling the alleged criminals to withdraw money from their accounts.
An examination of the telephone numbers allegedly used by the network reportedly showed that more than FCFA50 million had already been obtained from several victims.
The suspects have been handed over to the judicial authorities as investigations continue to identify and arrest other alleged members of the network.
By Lasha Kingsly