EFCC Decries Rising Cases Of Financial Crimes Among Families

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has decried the rising incidents of fraud among families.

The Commission made this outcry during its weekly town hall meeting popularly known as EFCC Connect.

According to Sanusi Mohammed, an officer of the EFCC, there are so many factors recently that make families involved in financial crimes.

He said: “In the past, people who come together to form a group or in their individual personalities were known to be the ones committing financial crimes.

“The situation is becoming a little bit complex where parents and their children unite together for the common purpose of committing financial crimes.”

The officer explained that if one comes from a family that expects much from him or her, even when he or she earns little, such a person can be pushed into committing financial crimes to meet their needs.

He further highlighted that if a family member is a financial criminal, the behaviour of the criminal may get his or her family members involved in crime as well.

“In a defined family, there’s one function of the family that’s called socialisation. So in the course of that interaction, a financial criminal in the family may end up influencing members of the family directly or indirectly.

“Indirectly, when they copy what he does, they find it fascinating and will like to copy.

“Directly, when he recruits someone and that person willingly accepts the recruitment,” Mohammed said.

He also explained that another factor that influences children in committing crimes is when parents use money as a weapon in tormenting their children, by comparing them with other kids that have made it financially.

“So these and maybe something we call parental financial abuse. That is when the father or mother has money,does not carry out his or her responsibility on the child as he or she should. So the child may get motivated to equally have his won by whatever means,” tbe EFCC officer said.