The United States government has indicted six Nigerians for alleged internet-related fraud that caused American citizens and businesses over $6 million losses.
The US Department of State, in a statement on Tuesday on its website, named the suspects as Richard Uzuh, Micheal Olorunyomi, Alex Ogunshakin, Felix Okpoh, Nnamdi Benson and Abiola Kayode.
The statement said: “The individuals designated today targeted U.S. businesses and individuals through deceptive global threats known as business email compromise (BEC) and romance fraud. American citizens lost over $6,000,000 due to these individuals’ BEC fraud schemes, in which they impersonated business executives and requested and received wire transfers from legitimate business accounts.
“Money was also stolen from innocent Americans by romance fraud, in which the designees masqueraded as affectionate partners to gain trust from victims.”
The statement said they 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.
Mr Uzuh, 34, is said to have 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.
Mr Olorunyomi, 37, has losses exceeding $1m attributed to the romance fraud scheme he led.
Mr Ogunshakin, 37, is said to have provided financial, material, and technological support for Uzuh.
Mr Okpoh, 31, is also said to have provided technological support to Uzuh.
Mr Benson, 33, is also alleged to have working closely with Uzuh in romance scams and money laundering.
Mr Kayode, 32, is believed to have worked working closely with Uzuh and others involved in the scheme.
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, warned that “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.”
