The $46 million Nigerian fraud case, in which 80 persons stole at least $46 million through schemes that preyed on businesses, the elderly, and anyone susceptible to romance scams, was one of the first drawbacks of dominating the internet!
Throughout the world, there are a lot of con artists, and Nigeria is no exception. Nigeria’s technological ecosystem is becoming more robust daily, but cyber security companies are nonetheless aware of its history of fraud.
The $46 million Nigerian fraud case, in which 80 persons stole at least $46 million through schemes that preyed on businesses, the elderly, and anyone susceptible to romance scams, was one of the first drawbacks of dominating the internet!
Do you want to know more about this ever-famous, highly complex, and one of the biggest scams of its kind in history? Keep reading; you’ll find all the details!
80 People & 46 Million; A Scam
It all began when a Japanese woman and a U.S. Army captain stationed in Syria developed an online relationship through a global social network for virtual pen pals.
Over ten months of daily emails, it developed into an internet romance. However, after borrowing money from her sister, ex-husband, and friends to assist Captain Terry Garcia with his scheme to smuggle diamonds out of Syria, the woman ended up $200,000 poorer and on the edge of bankruptcy. The truth is that neither Garcia nor the diamonds existed; instead, they were components of a sophisticated hoax created by a global network of cybercriminals based mainly in Nigeria and Los Angeles.
Federal prosecutors unveiled an indictment accusing 80 people of stealing at least $46 million through multiple scams that targeted businesses, the elderly, and anyone susceptible to a romance scam. They referenced the example of the Japanese woman, “F.K.,” in court documents. Nigerians make up the bulk of the defendants. “We believe this is one of the largest cases of its kind in U.S. history,” U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna told a news conference. “We are taking a major step to disrupt these criminal networks.”
Paul Delacourt, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, claimed that the investigation started in 2016 with a single bank account and a single victim. It expanded to include victims targeted in the US and other countries. Some of them suffered financial losses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars like the Japanese woman “F.K. was and is extremely depressed and angry about these losses,” the federal complaint states. “She began crying when discussing how these losses have affected her.”
Her relationship with “Garcia” started calmly with an email in March 2016, but shortly after, “Garcia” allegedly initiated “romantic overtures.” Since he was not permitted to use a phone in Syria, he informed her that they could not speak on the phone.
As a result, she translated his English into Japanese in a series of emails she sent and received while using Google. After a month of dating, Garcia revealed to her that he had discovered a bag of diamonds in Syria. He introduced her to his friends, starting with a Red Cross volunteer who said that Garcia had been hurt but had handed him the box.
F.K. made 35 to 40 payments while being instructed to wire money to accounts in the US, Turkey, and the UK by the captain’s alleged associates in as many as 10 to 15 emails per day. When she stopped paying, the scammers even threatened to have her arrested. At one point, she came to Los Angeles after learning that a Russian bank manager had stolen more than $33,000 from her.
Police detained 14 defendants, most of whom were in the Los Angeles region. Before their arraignment in federal court, suspects were observed being processed by FBI agents in a parking lot in the heart of Los Angeles. It wasn’t immediately clear if they had legal representatives who could speak for them.
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US Court Convicts 2 Nigerians!
Thank God, a US jury found George Ugochukwu Egwumba and Princewell Arinze Duru, two Nigerians who reside in California, guilty of this multimillion-dollar fraud.
According to a statement on the US Department of Justice website, Egwumba, 47, and Duru, 33, was part of a Nigerian criminal organization that, for many years, operated within the US and committed a range of frauds, including romance scams and business email compromise (BEC).
Duru was found guilty of one count of wire fraud and one count of encouraging aggravated identity theft, while Egwumba was found guilty of one count of aggravated identity theft. Additionally, the two were determined to have conspired to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Horrible!
To the allegations brought against them, they both entered guilty pleas. The conspiracy includes the attempted theft of at least $40 million and the laundering of at least $6 million in money obtained fraudulently.
The gang employed numerous mediators to communicate with its fellow conspirators in the United States, according to evidence produced during the seven-day trial, which ended on June 15.
The intermediaries helped receive and launder the fraud’s revenues through US bank accounts, bitcoin, or money-transfer services like Western Union or MoneyGram. Unbelievable!
However, while these two suspects were being held, a few more people were detained the following week. They are all accused of conspiring to conduct fraud, conspiring to launder money, and aggravating identity theft. Some of them are also accused of other fraud and money laundering offenses.
Be Careful Of Nigerians; Stay Away From Such Scams At All Times!
Nineteen guilty pleas have already been obtained in the case by US authorities. In Nigeria, other defendants have also been detained; however, it’s thought that some others are still at large.
Nevertheless, because of this scam, many Nigerians are regarded as con artists. It is also popular outside of Nigeria’s borders, not only within it. After all, a staggering $46 million in fraud has occurred.
So what can you do? Always be extra vigilant and on the lookout for red flags. Also, if you ever become a victim and nothing else works, contact GlobalPayback; considering the laws and regulations, they ensure you receive the most reputable recovery service possible. Good luck!
Sources
- Author: Tola Owoyele – https://fij.ng/article/us-court-convicts-nigerians-for-involvement-in-46m-fraud/
- https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2019/8/23/us-charges-80-people-mostly-nigerians-in-46m-internet-scam
- https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/aug/29/the-misdeeds-of-a-few-nigeria-speaks-out-over-fraud-case
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