Nigerian behind an online fraud network which
engineered scams worth more than $60 million has
been arrested in southern oil city of Port Harcourt
(AFP/File Issouf Sanogo)
A Nigerian behind an online fraud network which
engineered scams worth more than $60 million has
been arrested in Port Harcourt, Interpol said on
Monday.
“The 40-year-old Nigerian national, known as ‘Mike’,
is believed to be behind scams totalling more than
$60 million involving hundreds of victims
worldwide,” the international police organisation
said in a statement.
“In one case, a target was conned into paying out
$15.4 million,” Interpol said, indicating that the
arrest was carried out with the support of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“The network compromised email accounts of small
to medium businesses around the world including in
Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Romania, South
Africa, Thailand and the United States,” it said.
The suspect ran a network of at least 40 people
working from Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa
which used malware and carried out the fraud, and
he also had money laundering contacts in China,
Europe and the US who provided bank account
details for the illicit cash flow.
“Following his arrest in Port Harcourt in southern
Nigeria, a forensic examination of devices seized by
the EFCC showed he had been involved in a range of
criminal activities including business e-mail
compromise and romance scams,” it said.
The suspect and a fellow fraudster, 38, who was also
arrested in the city, face charges including hacking,
conspiracy and obtaining money under false
pretences.
Source: guardian
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