All rights reserved, In 2020, Nigeria lost 5b to fraud in 9 months: What you need to watch out for, Journalist feasting on tech, business, and policies. The NIBSS recounts that mobile-led fraud channels saw a 330% Year-on-Year growth in 2020. The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has released its industry fraud report for Q3 2020. Furthermore, the Black Axe arrests in the US represent the second crackdown against an international crime syndicates cybercrime operations. 7.2. Read about our approach to external linking. Nigeria and India have agreed to exchange vital intelligence on the activities of drug trafficking syndicates operating vulnerable drug routes between both countries, while the latter will also strengthen the capacity of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), officers with training. It is believed the FBI and US Secret Service led the investigation and worked with South African authorities, including the elite police unit, the Hawks. The victims, often vulnerable widows or divorcees from around the world, thought they were in genuine romantic relationships. Of these methods, social engineering remains the most common, accounting for 56% of the total fraud that occurred between January and September 2020. "We ask those accused in Nigeria to voluntarily turn themselves in to American authorities to clear their names, without which the Nigerian government should extradite them if relevant international treaties between the two governments are invoked.". 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, Ambrose Sunday Ohide, 47 wire fraud conspiracy. Nigerian romance scam suspects targeted 100 women - FBI 20 October 2021 Getty Images Many of the alleged victims are believed to be widows and divorcees By Karen Schoonbee BBC News, Cape Town They will face indictment for money laundering and wire scam that defrauded over 100 people nationwide. Federal prosecutors quoted messages the defendants allegedly sent to victims, in one instance seeking a loan to fix a crane for a construction project: "Honey, i don't know how you will take this, i hate doing it but i have no other option, with profound sense of sadness and disgrace i am begging you to please loan me the balance, if possible a little bit more for upkeeping, i promise i will reimburse you once they come for inspection and give me the part-payment and that cannot be more than sometime next week.". He was also charged with wire fraud over his involvement in an international romance scheme. Using photos, text, and video dynamically, the site informs and prompts concerned African citizens and activists globally to act, denouncing officially-sanctioned corruption, the material impoverishment of its citizenry, defilement of the environment, and the callous disregard of the democratic principles enshrined in the constitution. In one phishing attack in 2018 the fraudsters managed to gain access to the email of a manager at Unatrac Holding Limited, the export sales office for Caterpillar's heavy industrial and farm equipment. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas said Infantino had seized the chance to utilise Noels qualities, adding if that implies indirectly that it comes at a good moment for Noel, its a wonderful thing. Judy Middleton, 70, of Ridgeland, Mississippi, is accused by federal prosecutors. Enter Search Term(s): . It attempts to examine the Nigerian capital market and how the rule of law can be used to prevent fraud and promote the proper functioning of the market. Approximately 33% of the victims were aged between 20 and 29, and 13% were aged between 70 and 79. "[They] were friendly and never brought any crime to the area. 27th September, 2021 A total of 33 Nigerians have been indicted by Federal grand juries in the Northern and Eastern districts of Texas for defrauding elderly victims in romance schemes. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a woman of Nigerian descent, Amanda Azubuike, has become a Brigadier General of the United States Army. (2) Includes online shopping and payment account fraud, email and social media fraud, and medical services, insurance and securities . Read about our approach to external linking. About 60 men from various police units spent about six hours collecting evidence at the properties. After compromising a patient zero, fraudsters analyzed their email correspondence. Romance scams are often difficult to prosecute because victims are often embarrassed, feel duped, and dont want to come forward.. Suspects are believed to be members of Black Axe, a Nigerian confraternity and crime syndicate. Despite this impressive growth, social media is also a hotbed for fraud and scams. The Federal Trade Commission received more than 2.1 million fraud reports from consumers in 2020, according to newly released data, with imposter scams remaining the most common type of fraud repor . READ ALSO: BBNaija Season 6: Check Out Latest News For Day 63, And Week Recap. Sometimes victims were allegedly convinced to open financial accounts in the United States that the conspirators would then be permitted to use themselves to launder money. Read about our approach to external linking. If convicted, the defendants face up 20 years in federal prison on the wire fraud conspiracy counts and up to 10 years in federal prison on the money laundering conspiracy counts. These were top-end vehicles like a 2021 Mercedes Benz, a Jeep and a Ferrari. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions. Obinwanne Okeke, also known as Invictus Obi, used Nigerian-based companies to defraud people in the US. March 1, 2023. The suspects, who have allegedly defrauded over 100 people nationwide, would face indictment for money laundering and wire scam. Follow us on social media . He said the schemes allegedly perpetrated by the Nigerians charged this week were particularly insidious because they played on people's emotions. Downloadable (with restrictions)! The 11 persons were arrested in a Wednesday morning operation and have been charged for a number of financial crimes, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. The Paris-based FATF also added Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy, to its grey-list on Friday. Okeke's Invictus Group companies were also accused of working with conspirators to create profiles of hundreds of victims including people in the US's Eastern District of Virginia. . This was a 510% increase from the 550 million lost to fraudsters in the same period in 2019. Palo Alto claims one of those arrested in Nigeria for BEC fraud was helping run a seemingly legitimate business. Adegbites poem on domestic violence won. . Originally conducted over phone, fax, and traditional mail, this scam invites victims to send a small amount of money on the promise of receiving a much larger sum in return. . Finland chose to erect the fence in response to an increase in Russians attempting to avoid conscription to fight in Ukraine. Associate editor at Forbes, covering cybercrime, privacy, security and surveillance. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria recorded a slight GDP growth of 0.51% (year-on-year) in the first quarter of 2021, slower than the 1.87% growth recorded in Q1 2020 and higher than 0.11% recorded in Q4 of 2020. BRF paid 1.35 billion reais for the assets in 2021. In total, authorities said the group stole and laundered more than $17 million, funds they acquired from at least 100 victims, according tocourt documentsobtained byThe Record. Shah encourages victims to come forward and reassures them that the scams are more common than one might think, disclosing that more than 20,000 people lost $600million in romance scams in 2020. Its parliament has begun discussing a measure to expedite the countrys application, with a vote scheduled for Wednesday. The suspects, who have allegedly. Le Graet took over in 2011, and the mens national team won the 2018 World Cup after placing second in Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup. May 18, 2021 Paul Roberts - The Seattle Times Flip A Nigerian man suspected in Washington state's $650 million unemployment fraud was arrested Friday at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport by federal agents as he allegedly attempted to leave the country. Thirty-five Nigerians have been arrested in North Texas by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, for involvement in a fraud worth $117million. Dangote Cement Announces N20 Dividend Per Share After N381bn Profit, Real Estate Merchants Embrace Oduwacoin As Payment Method, Otedola Wows Augustine University With Fully Built Engineering Facility, Interventions: Buhari Hails CACOVID for Raising his Profile among Comity of Nations, Naira Crunch: Keystone, Union Banks Set Ablaze In Ogun, China Hits Back at US Over TikTok Ban on Federal Devices, Bolt Lays Off 17 Of Its 70 Workers in Nigeria, We Wont Replace Our Writers With ChatGPT Ugochukwu Obi-Chukwu, Our Tech Can Revolutionize Payments & Elections Olumide Afolabi, Importance of Nigerias Startup Act Iyin Aboyeji. Many of these fraudsters - dubbed "yahoo-boys . People between the ages of 20 and 40 account for 35% of those reports. Four Nigerian deposit money banks lost a total of N1.77bn to fraudulent activities involving the banks' employees and consumers in 2021. The authorities have listed a total of 252 charges against the 80 suspects. Le Graet stated that he would not accept Zidanes offer to coach France unless he apologized for his clumsy statements. Nevertheless, he later stated that his statements were misconstrued. The suspectsarrested and chargedin the Northern District of Texas include: The suspectsarrested and chargedin the Eastern District of Texas include: Catalin Cimpanu is a former cybersecurity reporter for Record Future News. The charge was, however, dropped in a plea Shah encourages victims to come forward and reassure them that the scams are more common than one might think more than 20,000 people lost $600 million in romance scams in 2020. 1 in 10 profiles on free dating sites is a scam. The suspects also engaged in online romance scams, operating on dating sites such as Match.com, ChistianMingle, JSwipe, and Plenty of Fish. 100.0%. Almost 100,000 people reported about $770 million in losses to fraud . US authorities accused Okeke of using "subterfuge and impersonation" to lure his victims, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Get the latest updates on BBC Africa Live, All the 80 defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and aggravated identity theft, She made 35 to 40 payments, receiving as many as 10 to 15 emails a day directing her to send money to accounts in the US, Turkey and the United Kingdom through the captain's many purported associates, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Dozens of girls treated after new Iran poisonings, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, Man survives 31 days in jungle by eating worms, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Havana Syndrome unlikely to have hostile cause - US. Azubuike was promoted from a Lieutenant Colonel to Brigadier General at a military base in Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA. The bulk of this loss occurred between July and September 2020, when companies lost up to 3.36 billion. 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. 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