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+--- Thread: U.S arrests 30 Nigerians over internet scarm (/showthread.php?tid=3612)
U.S arrests 30 Nigerians over internet scarm - Adesewa - 06-13-2018
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To reduce activities of global email scam artists , the United States of America has arrested 30 Nigerians in a coordinated crackdown on persons who convince respondents to wire them money through fraudulent activities .In the swipe on fraudulent activities , which also involved 44 nationals from other countries, the U .S . said such scams are prevalent and pledged to pursue perpetrators regardless of where they are located .
Authorities said they have seized , recovered or disrupted more than $ 16 million ( £ 12 million) since January . The effort, which involved local and federal law enforcement agencies , targeted scammers who trick people into transferring them money , for example by impersonating a business partner or colleague .
In one case , the U .S . alleged that two Nigerians living in Dallas posed as a property seller when requesting a $ 246 ,000 wire transfer from a real estate attorney .Authorities also went after “ money mules ” – “ witting or unwitting accomplices” who receive the money from the victims and transfer it as directed by the fraudsters .
The U .S . said arrests occurred in the U . S. , Nigeria , Canada , Mauritius and Poland . Some Nigerians allegedly involved in the crackdown include : Adeyemi Odufuye using many aliases including ‘ Micky, ’ ‘ Micky Bricks ,’ ‘Yemi ,’ ‘GMB,’ ‘Bawz ’, ‘Jefe ,’ aged 32 , and Stanley Hugochukwu Nwoke, aka ‘Stanley Banks , ’ ‘Banks , ’ ‘ Hugo Banks ,’ ‘Banky ,’ and ‘Jose Calderon ’ as his several aliases.
They were charged with a seven -count indictment in the District of Connecticut . Their victims were said to have lost approximately $ 2 .6 million, including at least $ 440 , 000 in actual losses to one victim in Connecticut . A third co -conspirator Olumuyiwa Yahtrip Adejumo , aka ‘ Ade ,’ ‘Slimwaco ,’ ‘Waco ,’ ‘Waco Jamon ,’ ‘Hade , ’ and ‘Hadey , ’ aged 32 , of Toledo , Ohio , pleaded guilty on April 20 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud .
The US department of justice said Odufuye was extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States on January 3 , and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.Nwoke was extradited to the US from Mauritius on May 25 , marking the first extradition in over 15 years from Mauritius. His case is pending . Richard Emem Jackson , aka Auwire , 23 , of Lagos , was charged in an indictment filed on May 17 in the District of Massachusetts with two counts of unlawful possession of a means of identification as part of a larger fraud scheme.
According to the indictment , on two occasions in 2017 , Jackson was alleged to have possessed the identifications of two victims with the intent to commit wire fraud conspiracy.Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI) Director , Christopher Wray, whose agency funded and coordinated the operation , said : “ This operation demonstrates the FBI’ s commitment to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises that target American citizens and their businesses .”
FBI said people have reported losing more than $ 3 .7 bn since it started tracking the issue through its Internet Crime Complaint Center. Wray said “ The devastating effects these cases have on victims and victim companies , affect not only the individual business but also the global economy ” .