A 26-year-old man, identified as M. El B. Ciss, was taken into custody by the Dakar-Plateau police commissariat on November 3, 2026. Ciss, who was unemployed and residing in the Sicap-Foire neighborhood, had allegedly set up an international electronic fraud and online scam network. He was charged with fraud, forgery, and use of false documents in private banking and falsification of administrative documents.
According to reports, Ciss had been posing as a wealthy businessman capable of handling large transfer orders of 75 million FCfa. His arrest was made possible after a trader, P. Beredi, raised an alarm with law enforcement authorities. Beredi stated that Ciss had been placing large orders for goods on his online sales platform, consistently paying with a credit card. However, on October 31, Ecobank notified Beredi that the actual cardholder disputed all transactions, which were not authorized.
An investigation revealed that Ciss had been using a sophisticated mechanism to carry out the fraud. When a person arrived at Beredi's office to collect a package under the name of Ciss, posing as a courier named "Moustapha Fall," undercover police officers apprehended him. A search of Ciss's residence at Sicap Foire uncovered a lavish lifestyle funded by fake transfer orders, including luxury vehicles such as a Chevrolet Camaro and a Porsche Macan valued at 28.2 million FCfa.
Authorities also discovered a range of other items, including two laptops, two high-end iPhones, an Apple Watch, a large quantity of counterfeit luxury perfumes, five magnetic access cards for suites in a luxury hotel, a falsified international driver's license, and a stamp with the inscription "Admitted to upper class" used to fabricate fake school records. Additionally, a fake transfer order of 75 million FCfa and another of 850,000 FCfa intended for Ciss's account were found.
The investigation into Ciss's activities is ongoing, with authorities working to uncover the full extent of his fraudulent operations. His arrest highlights the growing concern over cybercrime and online scams in Senegal. The authorities have been working to crack down on such activities, with recent reports indicating that Interpol had arrested 300 people in seven African countries in similar operations.
Ciss's case has drawn attention to the issue of unemployment and the lengths to which individuals may go to achieve a lavish lifestyle. His alleged crimes involved not only financial deception but also the use of sophisticated technology to carry out the fraud. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance in online transactions and the need for cooperation between law enforcement agencies to combat cybercrime.
The Senegalese authorities have been urged to continue their efforts in addressing the root causes of cybercrime, including unemployment and poverty. The case of M. El B. Ciss serves as an example of the complexities of cybercrime and the need for a comprehensive approach to tackle this issue.
Key points
- The suspect, M. El B. Ciss, was found with a range of luxury items, including a Porsche Macan and a Chevrolet Camaro.
- Ciss had been posing as a wealthy businessman, handling large transfer orders of 75 million FCfa.
- The arrest was made possible after a trader raised an alarm with law enforcement authorities about suspicious transactions.
