For their alleged involvement in frauds worth over $6million, the United States has indicted six Nigerians.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FIB) named the suspects as Richard Uzuh, Micheal Olorunyomi, Alex Ogunshakin, Felix Okpoh, Nnamdi Benson and Abiola Kayode.
In a statement on its website, the US Department of State, said the six persons “manipulated their victims to gain access to their sensitive information and financial resources”.
It said they targeted American businesses and individuals using “business email compromise and romance fraud” while impersonating American business executives, requesting and receiving wire transfers from their accounts.
The Department of States explained they specifically targeted women, especially those who just lost a spouse, deceiving them with affection through calls and constant chats until they gain their trust and swindle their unsuspecting victims.
US Department of Justice declared that “all property and interests in property of the designated persons that are in the possession or control of US persons or within or transiting the United States are blocked, and U.S. persons generally are prohibited from dealing with them”.
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, warned: “The U.S. will not tolerate such gross misuse of technology. The United States will use all of the tools at our disposal to defend the American people and businesses from malign actors that seek to target them, including cyber-enabled actors who prey on vulnerable Americans and businesses.”
Suspects’ Profiles
From early 2015 to September 2016, Uzuh and an accomplice sent emails to victims appearing as though they were coming from a company’s true business executive and would request and receive wire transfers of funds from the businesses’ accounts. He targeted over 100 businesses in a single day and a loss in excess of $6,300,000 can be attributed to a scheme he led.
From September 2015 to June 2017, Olorunyomi and an accomplice led a scheme that victimised Americans through the use of romance fraud. He and his co-conspirators created fictitious profiles on dating websites and posed as individuals looking for love. He developed online relationships with victims to either obtain funds directly from them or used their bank accounts to funnel fraudulently obtained money. Losses exceeding $1,000,000 can be attributed to the romance fraud scheme he led.
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