over a romance scam. 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. Copyright 20062023 Sahara Reporters, Inc. All rights reserved. On Tuesday, 37 more pupils were poisoned at the Khayyam Girls School in Pardis, near Tehran. Nicknamed "yahoo-yahoo" after the international web portal and search engine, this perfidy has become a way of life for the young con-artists. 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. A notorious Instagram influencer from Nigeria has been jailed for more than 11 years in the US for his role in an international fraud syndicate. The only mistake these victims make is being generous to the wrong people. F ormer Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is in Nigeria watching the presidential elections as an international observer.. Abrams, who infamously cast doubt on the 2018 gubernatorial . Eight Nigerian men accused of an internet dating scam have appeared in a South African court after a massive international operation involving the FBI and Interpol. Techpremier Media Limited. The suspects, aged between 33 and 52, were arrested in Cape Town on Tuesday following a legal assistance request from the US. Ben Ayade for allowing a level playing field at the Cross River North senatorial election of Feb. 25. Romance scams are often difficult to prosecute because victims are often embarrassed, feel duped, and dont want to come forward. On October 9th, 2019, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Nigeria ordered the temporary forfeiture of N280M (approximately $800,000) found in his personal and corporate accounts to the Federal Government of Nigeria for fear of its 'dissipation by his cronies' pending the outcome of his trial. They managed to fraudulently obtain $6m (5m) in a conspiracy aimed at stealing $46m, the US Attorney's Office alleges. 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. worked with North Korean hackers to launder funds stolen from a Maltese bank, pled guilty to money laundering in mid-2021. At the moment, Finlands borders are mostly protected by modest timber fences. July 24, 2021. It added that the 33-year-old, who was arrested two years ago, used "subterfuge and impersonation" to lure his victims. Once they depleted the savings they vanished into thin air. Furthermore, the Black Axe arrests in the US represent the second crackdown against an international crime syndicates cybercrime operations. According to the financial consortium, criminals will always use disruption to cause disruption. found that in the. What's more: About one in ten people lost money in 2019. Another video from a hospital shows a teenage girl lying dazed on a bed, with her mother beside her. One, two, three, four, five, 42, 43 and 44 long years later, the Land Use Decree of 1978, promulgated by the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo, now retired, remains the governing law on land use in Nigeria. A neighbour of two of the suspects, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC he was shocked to hear the two brothers were alleged to be members of a Nigerian crime gang. Of these methods, social engineering remains the most common, accounting for 56% of the total fraud that occurred between January and September 2020. Read about our approach to external linking. Crimes like these are especially despicable because they rely not only on victims lack of internet savvy, but also, their isolation, their loneliness, and sometimes their grief. Government budget refers to an annual financial statement that denotes its anticipated expenditure and expected revenue generation in a fiscal year. At 1,340 kilometers, Finland has the longest European Union border with Russia (832 miles). US authorities accused Okeke of using "subterfuge and impersonation" to lure his victims, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Competitors were drawn from the academics for stage two winners across six Southwest Nigeria states. Read about our approach to external linking. The one brother was married to a South African citizen," he said. BEC remains the most costly kind of fraud to Americans. Ayade whom he defeated at election, Israel police crack down on legal reform protest, Flourmills boosts nutrition with new product, Land use reform in Nigeria: Removing stifling bottlenecks, Adegbite wins Wake Up the Giants reality show, Nigeria, India agree to share intelligence on drug trafficking syndicates, Diri congratulates most improved Team Bayelsa for second-place finish, David Animashaun, 38 arrested in DFW, charged with wire fraud conspiracy, 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 and wire fraud conspiracy, Victor Idowu, 36 arrested in Los Angeles, charged with mail and wire fraud conspiracy, Afeez Abiola Alao, 37 wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, Ambrose Sunday Ohide, 47 wire fraud conspiracy. The Border Guard expects a 3km prototype project at Imatra to be finished by the end of June. In 2019 phishing attempts grew by 65%. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has nabbed Nigerian medical doctor, Patrick Nwaokwu, for his alleged involvement in multimillion-dollar healthcare fraud. All the 80 defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and aggravated identity theft, the US Attorney's Office in the Central District of California said in a press release. As more innovative platforms arise, it advises that potential points of vulnerability are proactively engaged to boost confidence in digital financial services. Feb. 27, 2023), Dollar To Naira Exchange Rate Today (Tue. Cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks tracks all BEC fraud coming out of Nigeria under the name SilverTerrier and has found that among the nearly 500 different actors involved, they were often connected through only a few degrees of separation on social media platforms, showing links between over 120 actors. "Once a week about 10 luxury cars would arrive and leave again in a few hours. Despite this impressive growth, social media is also a hotbed for fraud and scams. 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks trip of lifetime for TikToker, Anorexia: 'I made the podcast I wish I'd listened to', Arena bombing family 'let down at every level', An undercover investigation on tea producing plantations find shocking conditions. READ ALSO: BBNaija Season 6: Check Out Latest News For Day 63, And Week Recap. "[They] were friendly and never brought any crime to the area. 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. 2021. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States (US), has declared that six Nigerians are at top on its list of most . Gbadegesin was said to have been involved in a romance. Collectively, Nigerias BEC groups make up a sprawling illicit industry. This was a 510% increase from the 550 million lost to fraudsters in the same period in 2019. 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. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Watch: Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. To improve security, Finland has begun building a 200km (124 mile) barrier along its border with Russia. 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. 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. The existing wooden barriers are mostly used to keep cattle from crossing the border. Required fields are marked *. Nigerians Charged in the Northern District of Texas ; All of the defendants named are innocent until proven guilty. As of January 2023, Nigerians reported being most worried about getting things stolen from their car. 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. The FBI investigation is a major step to disrupt criminal networks, US Attorney Nick Hanna said. They were among the 35 persons. They made fraudulent wire transfers to the value of nearly $11m, and moved the funds overseas. NBM maintain that they do not have connections to Black Axe, however is essentially just a different name that acts as a nominal cover for the Black Axe confraternity. Privacy Policy. When it comes to victims of doorstep fraud, 85% are over 65. The company claimed that one of those arrested had previously been apprehended by the FBI in 2018. 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 Nicolas Sarkozy Former France President To Serve One Year Sentence At Home, Buhari To Present Nigerias Statement At The UN General Assembly, As Second Speaker On Friday, FBI Seeks 11 Years Imprisonment For Hushpuppi, $2.2m Fine, 6 Months After FBI Indictment, IGP Submits Probe Reports On Abba Kyari, Your email address will not be published. Tax fraud. 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. ( source: Nilson Report) Before stepping down earlier this year, Le Graet extended Didier Deschamps contract as national team manager until 2026. But Nigerians were stunned on July 28th when court documents were unsealed implicating their most famous cop, Abba . A Nigerian businessman, who once appeared on the cover of Forbes magazine, has been jailed for 10 years in the US over a cyber fraud scam that led to the theft of about $11m (8m). Currently, NBMs Black Axe is believed to be involved in prostitution, human trafficking, narcotics trafficking, grand theft, money laundering, and cybercrime (mainly email fraud), according to a 2020 Interpol report [PDF]. That makes it a far more financially damaging crime than ransomware, one of the better-known kinds of cyberattack. Action Fraud . 25 September 2021 | Some parents have said their children were ill for weeks after the poisoning. Associate editor at Forbes, covering cybercrime, privacy, security and surveillance. He was also charged with wire fraud over his involvement in an international romance scheme. 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 . 2019/2020 fraud volume by channels. A picture of the suspect obtained by Palo Alto researchers shows him standing next to luxury cars carrying the TMT branding. 1 in 10 profiles on free dating sites is a scam. Interestingly, people ranged 21 - 30 were the second most defrauded at 31%. 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. . 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