It said both South Africa and Nigeria had made high-level political commitments to address the . The customer leaves with 20k cash but the agent only gets 10k and would be none the wiser if the receipt is not checked. The bulk of this loss occurred between July and September 2020, when companies lost up to 3.36 billion. and then siphoned money from victims accounts, tens of thousands of dollars at a time. Meanwhile, eleven of the arrests were made in the Northern District of Texas while the remaining 24 were made in the Eastern District of Texas. Featured Image by Bermix Studio on Unsplash. [9] The actions of a few should not tarnish all Nigerians, she added. Eight Nigerians have been charged in the U.S. with running widespread internet scams for at least a decade from their base of operation in Cape Town, South Africa, federal prosecutors in New Jersey announced Wednesday. Nigerian fraudsters have been harvesting hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of business email account logins, policy say. Almost 2.8 million people filed a. Finland chose to erect the fence in response to an increase in Russians attempting to avoid conscription to fight in Ukraine. Here, the POS agent initiates a transaction of 20k and gives the customer to enter the pin, the customer reinitiates the transaction, inputs a lesser amount like 10k, enters the pin, and gives back the machine to the unsuspecting agent. He pled guilty to money laundering in mid-2021. As investigations continue to unfold, we are building a very clear picture of how such groups function and corrupt for financial gain. Eleven Nigerians have been indicted by the United States authorities for defrauding elderly Americans in romance scams. There were some side-effects though, as NIBSS reports that fraudulent activities increased during this period. $200,000. Instead, this operation focused predominantly on the technical backbone of BEC operations by targeting the actors who possess the skills and knowledge to build and deploy the malware and domain infrastructure used in these schemes, the company post read. Global payment fraud has more than tripled in the last decade, from $9.84 billion in 2011 to $32.39 billion in 2021. Many of these fraudsters - dubbed "yahoo-boys . A Nigerian Instagram influencer known as @hushpuppi and the Billionaire Gucci Master admit ted in the U.S. to taking part in a scam to steal more than $1.1 million from a businessperson. The list was topped by web channels followed closely by mobile. to 60 months in prison by a court in the United States. Two Nigerian nationals, identified as Valentine Iro and Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe, who are part of those arrested in the US, have been named as co-conspirators working with others in the US and in Nigeria, to obtain money from victims and then transfer it abroad. Video, From around 2015 to 2019, he was part of a group which engaged in a conspiracy to conduct various computer-based frauds, including creating fake websites, Africa Live: Stories from across the continent, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Oakeshott: Hancock sent me a 'menacing message', M&S sorry for displaying daffodils alongside veg, Rees-Mogg had Covid test couriered during shortage, Dozens of girls treated after new Iran poisonings, School face masks worn to avoid Covid row - claims, Poor families more resourceful in past - top Tory, Parents who let neglected teen die jailed. There were also calls for him to resign following comments he made against Zinedine Zidane, the former French player who led Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League victories. 7.2. Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. Check your credit report regularly for signs of unusual activity. Privacy Policy. Read about our approach to external linking. Why Nigerian cyber fraudsters are 'role models', Baby's body found as police still question couple, Parents jailed for letting neglected teen die, Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, Greece train crash: Survivors describe 'nightmarish seconds', At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. It said that each transcript purports that the student completed 1,700 hours of nursing education before graduating from Nursing School 1.. (FTC) Unfortunately, cybercrime statistics account for the dark side of gift-giving . Sources familiar with the groups activities said the suspects were members ofBlack Axe, a known criminal syndicate tied to theNeo Black Movement, a college fraternity founded in the 1970s in Nigeria that slowly evolved into asecret society, cult, and confraternityacross the country, and then spread across Africa and the world in recent years. Once they had ingratiated themselves with their victims, they allegedly concocted sob-stories about why they needed money i.e., taxes to release an inheritance, essential overseas travel, crippling debt, etc. The 419 scam is so prevalent in Nigeria that the fraudsters who carry out such crimes are locally . Search Show/hide Search menu items. 33 suspects were arrested in the US for BEC and romance scam-related crimes. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Interestingly, people ranged 21 30 were the second most defrauded at 31%. Col Mogale said once the suspects "had ingratiated themselves with their victims, they allegedly concocted sob-stories about why they needed money - ie taxes to release an inheritance, essential overseas travel, crippling debt, etc - and then siphoned money from victims". His companies used phishing emails to steal funds from victims. Oluwalobamise Michael Moses, 40 arrested in DFW, charged with wire fraud conspiracy, Irabor Fatarr Musa, 51 arrested in the Eastern District of Texas, charged by the Northern District of Texas wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, Ijeoma Okoro, 31 arrested in DFW, wire fraud conspiracy fraud, money laundering conspiracy, Chukwemeka Orji, 36 arrested in DFW, charged with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, Emanuel Stanley Orji, 35 arrested in DFW, charged with wire fraud conspiracy, Frederick Orji, 37 arrested in Dallas, charged with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, Uwadiale Esezobor, 36 arrested in Lubbock, charged with mail & wire fraud conspiracy, Victor Idowu, 36 arrested in Los Angeles, charged with mail & wire fraud conspiracy, Afeez Abiola Alao, 37 wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy. Joseph Akeredolu is part of a gang that creates fake accounts on social media lures people through the accounts and then dupes them under the pretext of sending gifts, According to Indian police, [] Keep Up with the Ins and Outs of Military Life For the latest military news. According to the financial consortium, criminals will always use disruption to cause disruption. Some FFF members have stated that Le Graet would continue to work for international governing organization FIFA. Feb. 27, 2023), Dollar To Naira Exchange Rate Today (Tue. The FBI started investigating the case in 2016 in a single bank account but it later extended to cover multiple victims in the US and around the world. The SilverTerrier gang is known as one of the more successful BEC fraud groups, and Interpol said initial analysis of one of the 11 suspects computers indicated they were in possession of more than 800,000 usernames and passwords, which could potentially have been used to hack into company email accounts. Nevertheless, he noted that the existing material merely showed the likelihood of illegal and deliberate activities. When it comes to victims of doorstep fraud, 85% are over 65. In opposing bail, prosecutor Robin Lewis alleged the men are members of the Black Axe, a transnational organised crime syndicate originating in Nigeria, whose specialities include laundering money through various accounts. These numbers are in keeping with the notion that Internet penetration, mobile phone usage, and agency banking activities are all increasing. The only mistake these victims make is being generous to the wrong people., Once they depleted the savings they vanished into thin air. His recent arrest marks one of the first known instances of a Nigerian actor being arrested twice for BEC, it added. That makes it a far more financially damaging crime than ransomware, one of the better-known kinds of cyberattack. What's more: About one in ten people lost money in 2019. The 33 suspects were accused of stealing more than $17 million from at least 100 victims. Collectively, Nigerias BEC groups make up a sprawling illicit industry. On Tuesday, the Nordic country took one step closer to joining the Nato alliance. Nevertheless, he later stated that his statements were misconstrued. They are accused of defrauding more than 100 victims of almost $7m (5m) in total over the past decade. According to Group-IB, another cybersecurity company that assisted on the law enforcement operation, the gang typically relied on phishing as their way into a companys email account. BRF paid 1.35 billion reais for the assets in 2021. Suspects are believed to be members of Black Axe, a Nigerian confraternity and crime syndicate. Since then, more than ten girls schools in the neighboring province have been attacked. Before stepping down earlier this year, Le Graet extended Didier Deschamps contract as national team manager until 2026. By. Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse the correlation between the rule of law and the efficient functioning of capital markets. A Nigerian student named Mayowa spoke to USA Today and, on the condition of partial anonymity, openly admitted to scamming $50,000 from the US pandemic welfare system so far. From 2011 through 2021 the defendants allegedly ran schemes that involved their telling victims in the United States false narratives about traveling to South Africa for work and needing money after a series of unfortunate and unforeseen events, according to the indictment. ( source: Nilson Report) Please report your suspicions or incidents to Action Fraud, either on the Action Fraud website or (only if you are in the UK) by phoning 0300 123 2040. Watch: Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Action Fraud . Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Nicknamed "yahoo-yahoo" after the international web portal and search engine, this perfidy has become a way of life for the young con-artists. Another video from a hospital shows a teenage girl lying dazed on a bed, with her mother beside her. 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Liverpool moved into the Premier League's top six as goals from Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah deepened Wolves' relegation fears with a 2-0 defeat at Anfield. Interestingly, people ranged 21 - 30 were the second most defrauded at 31%. Okeke's sentencing demonstrated the US authorities' determination to pursue international cybercriminals no matter where they committed their crimes, said the statement from the Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Virginia. The men are wanted in Texas and New Jersey for a variety of offences, including conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, money-laundering and aggravated identity theft. Then, of course, again, the large amounts attracted international organized crime or freelancers anywhere from Russia, China, Nigeria, the usual suspect hotspots of just fraud criminality in general. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Nigeria's annual inflation rate reduced slightly to 17.75% in June 2021 from 17.93% in May. 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