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8 Accused Of Stealing Millions In Internet, Wire Fraud Scam

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8 Accused Of Stealing Millions In Internet, Wire Fraud Scam

Unread postby firefly » Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:04 pm

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/06 ... raud-scam/

June 27, 2018

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Federal prosecutors in Tennessee say eight people in the U.S. and Africa have been arrested on charges that they stole millions from people and businesses around the world though computer and wire fraud.

Authorities say the group broke into servers and email systems belonging to a Memphis- based real estate company and used fake emails to commit financial fraud.

The suspects also are accused of using internet scams involving romance, fraudulent checks, gold buying and credit cards to illegally ship money and goods to Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Prosecutors say U.S. citizens in Indiana and Washington state were arrested. Also arrested were a Mexican citizen living in California, a citizen of Ghana living in New York and a Nigerian citizen in Atlanta. Three other Africans were arrested in Ghana.
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Global Cyber Scam Targets Memphis Real Estate Company

Unread postby firefly » Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:25 pm

https://www.localmemphis.com/news/local ... 1266308971

Posted: Jun 26, 2018

Global Cyber Scam Targets Memphis Real Estate Company

MEMPHIS, Tenn (localmemphis.com) - There's new information about a major Memphis real estate company and its clients who are victims of a global cyber scam.

Eight people are accused of bilking $15-million through an intricate web of fraudulent schemes and online data breaches.

Memphis based Crye-Leike Realty confirms they were targets of that elaborate scam.

Of the 8 people indicted, some live in the Mid-South others across the country and in Africa. Prosecutors say the group used sophisticated methods to steal money, and redirect the funds to accounts in Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Why Crye-Leike? Because closings can often be costly transactions sometimes left vulnerable to cyber crooks.

According to the U.S. Attorney for Western Tennessee, the group would infiltrate a business' computer network with a spoof email. The fake email usually contained a malicious link.

The cyber criminals would monitor the now-intruded network for large financial transactions, such as mortgage closing funds. When they found one, they would send an email to redirect those funds through a network of people in the U.S. who transferred the money illegally through services like Western Union.

For up to three years, potential homeowners, real estate agents, and bankers were left none the wiser.

A representative with Crye-Leike said the hackers got some of the stolen money into scam accounts at U.S. banks, but the FBI was able to freeze some of those accounts before they could get the money out of the country.

He said that if anyone notice anything with their email to call the FBI and don't wait.
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Re: 8 Accused Of Stealing Millions In Internet, Wire Fraud

Unread postby firefly » Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:28 pm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/art ... -scam.html

Wednesday, Jun 27th 2018

8 accused of stealing millions in internet, wire fraud scam

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Federal prosecutors in Tennessee say eight people in the U.S. and Africa have been arrested on charges that they stole millions from people and businesses around the world though computer and wire fraud.

Authorities say the group broke into servers and email systems belonging to a Memphis- based real estate company and used fake emails to commit financial fraud.

The suspects also are accused of using internet scams involving romance, fraudulent checks, gold buying and credit cards to illegally ship money and goods to Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Prosecutors say U.S. citizens in Indiana and Washington state were arrested. Also arrested were a Mexican citizen living in California, a citizen of Ghana living in New York and a Nigerian citizen in Atlanta. Three other Africans were arrested in Ghana.
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Re: 8 Accused Of Stealing Millions In Internet, Wire Fraud

Unread postby firefly » Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:31 pm

http://allafrica.com/stories/201806270181.html

27 JUNE 2018

U.S. Arrests 2 Nigerians Over Million-Dollar Cyber Fraud

United States of America, USA's authorities say eight people have been arrested for their alleged roles in an Africa-based cyber conspiracy defrauding companies and citizens of millions of dollars.

Five of the defendants - a Mexican, two Americans, a Ghanaian and a Nigerian - were arrested in the US, the justice department said.

The other three, two Ghanaians and a Nigerian, were arrested outside the US and are being held pending extradition.

The arrests were made as part of the department's efforts to fight schemes to intercept wire transfers from businesses and individuals.

"The defendants allegedly unleashed a barrage of international fraud schemes that targeted US businesses and individuals, robbing them to the tune of approximately 15 million dollars," said John Cronan, Acting Assistant Attorney-General.

The indictments are part of Operation Keyboard Warrior, a recently announced effort coordinated by the US and international law enforcement to disrupt online fraud perpetrated from Africa.

The suspects reportedly committed series of intrusions into the servers and email systems of a Memphis-based real estate company in 2017, according to the indictment.

The defendants were able to use spoofed email addresses and other techniques to identify large financial transactions and initiated fraudulent email correspondence with relevant business parties.

They then redirected closing funds for real estate transactions to destinations in Africa.

The indictment includes charges related to wire fraud, money laundering, computer fraud and identity fraud.

Some of the Africa-based defendants are also charged with operating romance scams, fraudulent-check scams, gold-buying scams and credit card scams.
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Re: 8 Accused Of Stealing Millions In Internet, Wire Fraud

Unread postby firefly » Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:33 pm

https://www.securityweek.com/eight-arre ... ud-schemes

June 26, 2018

Eight Arrested for Roles in Email Fraud Schemes

Eight individuals were arrested for their roles in a widespread, Africa-based business email compromise (BEC) conspiracy, the United States Department of Justice announced on Monday.

Following operation WireWire earlier this month, the new international effort named "Operation Keyboard Warrior", resulted in five individuals being arrested in the United States, along with three others in Ghana. Four more were indicted for their roles in the CEO schemes, but remain at large.

BEC is a type of fraud targeting decision-making positions within organizations via email, phone, or fax, to hijack wire transfers or trick them to authorize payments for fake invoices.

Tens of thousands fell victims to BEC schemes, while losses amount to billions. Victims include accounts payable personnel at Fortune 500 companies, global maritime shipping companies and their customers, and more.

As part of Operation Keyboard Warrior, DoJ coordinated with international law enforcement to disrupt online frauds perpetrated from Africa. The operation, which has been ongoing since at least 2012, allegedly defrauded U.S. companies and citizens of around $15 million, the Justice Department says.

The individuals arrested in the U.S. are Javier Luis Ramos Alonso, 28, a Mexican citizen residing in Seaside, California; James Dean, 65, of Plainfield, Indiana; Dana Brady, 61, of Auburn, Washington; Rashid Abdulai, 24, a Ghanaian citizen residing in the Bronx, New York, and Olufolajimi Abegunde, 31, a Nigerian citizen residing in Atlanta, Georgia.

Maxwell Atugba Abayeta aka Maxwell Peter, 26, and Babatunde Martins, 62, of Ghana and Benard Emurhowhoariogho Okorhi, 39, a Nigerian citizen who resides in Ghana, were arrested overseas and await their extradition. Sumaila Hardi Wumpini, 29; Dennis Miah, 34; Ayodeji Olumide Ojo, 35, and Victor Daniel Fortune Okorhi, 35, who were also charged in the indictment, remain at large.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and aggravated identity fraud.

According to the indictment, the Africa-based coconspirators committed, or caused to be committed, intrusions into the servers and email systems of a Memphis-based real estate company in June and July 2016.

The defendants used spoofed email addresses and Virtual Private Networks to identify large financial transactions, engage into fraudulent email correspondence with relevant business parties, and redirect closing funds, through a network of U.S.-based money mules, to Africa. The scheme defrauded companies and individuals in Memphis of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to the indictment, some of the Africa-based defendants also engaged in various romance scams, fraudulent-check scams, gold-buying scams, advance-fee scams, and credit card scams. All the proceeds of these criminal activities were shipped and/or transferred from the United States to locations in Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Some of the defendants are also said to have been concealing their conduct by, among other means, “stealing or fraudulently obtaining personal identification information (PII) and using that information to create fake online profiles and personas,” the DoJ announcement reads.

“The defendants allegedly unleashed a barrage of international fraud schemes that targeted U.S. businesses and individuals, robbing them to the tune of approximately $15 million,” Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said.
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Two Convicted in International Cyber-Fraud Scheme

Unread postby firefly » Fri Mar 22, 2019 7:58 am

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-men- ... d-business

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Two Men Found Guilty in International Cyber-Fraud Scheme Involving Online Dating and Business Email Compromises
A citizen of Nigeria residing in Atlanta, and a citizen of Mexico residing in California, were convicted Wednesday after a seven-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee on charges related to the part each played in an international cyber fraud scheme.

Olufolajimi Abegunde, 31, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Javier Luis Ramos-Alonso, 29, of Seaside, California, participated in a criminal organization in which members “spoofed” emails and created fake profiles on dating websites in order to fool victims into sending money to bogus bank accounts under the control of members of the conspiracy. The proceeds would be laundered and subsequently wired out of the United States to destinations including West Africa.

Abegunde, who received an MBA from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, engaged in black-market currency exchanges over the life of the conspiracy. Purporting to hold himself out as a legitimate businessman, the proof at trial showed that Abegunde claimed association with a business entity that was not yet operational in late 2017, so for his primary source of income he relied on his off-the-book currency exchanges. Through this network, Abegeunde played a key role, along with Ramos-Alonso, in laundering fraud funds from an Oct. 3, 2016, business email compromise (BEC) of a land title company located in Bellingham, Washington. The proceeds of another BEC perpetrated in July 2016 upon a real estate company in Memphis, Tennessee, also moved through parts of the same criminal organization.

Abegunde, who faced numerous account closures from banks in the United States, used a complicated network of third-party bank accounts to disguise his illicit activity. The proof at trial established that Abegunde told people that he could not receive payments into accounts that could be “tracked,” and that he preferred to engage in cash transactions because they were easier to clean and “eliminated the risk.”

In July 2014, Ramos-Alonso met Tammy Dolan through an online dating site. Ramos-Alonso engaged in a three-year romantic relationship with Dolan, who claimed to be an Australian American living in Africa, despite never meeting or speaking with Dolan. Shortly after meeting Dolan, Ramos-Alonso began sending money to her through an intricate network of strangers based in Africa and the United States, and he continued to do so despite receiving multiple warnings from businesses and individuals that he was facilitating criminal conduct. The evidence at trial established that Dolan was actually a front for individuals connected to the money-laundering scheme who were directing Ramos-Alonso to move funds. The evidence at trial established that, by the time of the first BEC in July 2016, Ramos-Alonso had “graduated” to a position of trust within the criminal organization, as he received and disbursed a large portion of a $154,000 wire transfer before the victim bank could freeze the funds. In October 2016, Ramos-Alonso received and dispersed approximately $60,000 associated with the Oct. 3, 2016 BEC in Washington, a portion of which he deposited (or attempted to deposit) into accounts controlled by Abegunde. Ramos-Alonso funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraud funds on behalf of the criminal organization.

In addition to his financial activities, Abegunde also engaged in a conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. Abegunde was married during his studies at Texas A&M, but divorced his wife in 2016 to marry a U.S. service member through whom he could obtain immigration and health care benefits and also open new bank accounts. He continued to live with his first wife in Atlanta while his U.S. service member wife was deployed to South Korea. While incarcerated and awaiting trial in the Western District of Tennessee, Abegunde continued his conspiratorial activities, trying to convince his fake spouse, who has since filed for divorce, to refuse to testify against him. Abegunde is contesting the divorce from his fake spouse. Abegunde also engaged in witness tampering by sending a self-written Motion to Dismiss bearing his former attorney’s name and professional attestation. The evidence at trial established that Abegunde drafted and sent the motion, which his attorney expressly did not authorize, to his faux spouse in an effort to deceive her into not testifying against him.

Five other individuals have pleaded guilty to being involved in the scheme. Additionally, three foreign nationals are awaiting extradition to the United States to face trial. Several others are still at large.

Sentencing for Abegunde and Ramos-Alonso is set for June 21, 2019, before the Honorable Judge Sheryl H. Lipman.

The FBI’s Memphis Field Office investigated the case with assistance from agents in Atlanta and San Jose, California. Senior Trial Attorney Timothy C. Flowers with the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra L. Ireland prosecuted the case.

For more information or to view a list of aliases used by members of the conspiracy on dating websites and social media, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/victi ... ss-program.
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Nigerian Citizen Extradited

Unread postby firefly » Tue Dec 10, 2019 4:59 pm

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nigerian ... ness-email

Monday, December 9, 2019
Nigerian Citizen Extradited in Connection with Prosecution of Africa-Based Cybercrime and Business Email Compromise Conspiracy
A Nigerian citizen residing in Accra, Ghana, has been extradited to stand trial for an indictment charging him with wire fraud, money laundering, computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge M.A. Myers of the FBI’s Memphis Field Office made the announcement.

On Aug. 23, 2017, a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee indicted Babatunde Martins, 64, and others with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. Following his extradition, Martins’ initial appearance was made today before U.S. Magistrate Judge U.S. Magistrate Judge Charmiane G. Claxton for the Western District of Tennessee.

The indictment alleges that various Africa-based coconspirators committed, or caused to be committed, a series of intrusions into the servers and email systems of a Memphis-based real estate company in June and July 2016. Using sophisticated anonymization techniques, including the use of spoofed email addresses and Virtual Private Networks, the co-conspirators identified large financial transactions, initiated fraudulent email correspondence with relevant business parties and then redirected closing funds through a network of U.S.-based money mules to final destinations in Africa. Commonly referred to as business-email compromise, or BEC, this aspect of the scheme caused hundreds of thousands in loss to companies and individuals in Memphis.

In addition to BEC, the defendant is also charged with perpetrating romance scams, fraudulent-check scams, gold-buying scams, advance-fee scams and credit card scams. The indictment alleges that the proceeds of these criminal activities, both money and goods, were shipped and/or transferred from the United States to locations in Africa through a complex network of both complicit and unwitting individuals that had been recruited through the various Internet scams. The defendant is specifically alleged to have owned and operated a company called Afriocean LTD that he used in furtherance of these crimes. The defendant, along with his coconspirators, is believed to have caused millions in loss to victims across the globe.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Five other individuals have pleaded guilty to being involved in the scheme. Two others, Olufalojimi Abegunde, 33, and Javier Luis Ramos-Alonso, 30, were convicted in March after a seven-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Abegunde received a 78-month sentence and Ramos-Alonso received a 31-month sentence for their roles in the scheme. Several individuals remain at large.

The FBI led the investigation. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, as well as the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Accra, the FBI Transnational Organized Crime of the Eastern Hemisphere Section of the Criminal Investigative Division, the FBI’s Major Cyber Crimes Unit of the Cyber Division, and FBI’s International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center all provided significant support in this case, as did the U.S. Marshals Service, INTERPOL Washington, the INTERPOL Unit of the Ghana Police Service, the Republic of Ghana’s Office of Attorney General, and Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office.

Senior Trial Attorney Timothy C. Flowers of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra L. Ireland of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs.

For more information or to view a list of aliases used by members of the conspiracy on dating websites and social media, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/victi ... ss-program.
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Ghanaian citizen extradited for trial in USA

Unread postby firefly » Thu Aug 27, 2020 2:58 pm

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/ghanaian ... ness-email

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Ghanaian Citizen Extradited in Connection with Prosecution of Africa-Based Cybercrime and Business Email Compromise Conspiracy

A Ghanaian citizen residing in Tamale, Ghana, has been extradited to stand trial for an indictment charging him with wire fraud, money laundering, computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas Korneski of the FBI’s Memphis Field Office made the announcement.

On Aug. 23, 2017, a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee indicted Maxwell Peter, 27, whose given name is Maxwell Atugba Abayeta, and others with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. Following his extradition, Peter’s initial appearance was made Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charmiane G. Claxton for the Western District of Tennessee.

The indictment alleges that various Africa-based co-conspirators committed, or caused to be committed, a series of intrusions into the servers and email systems of a Memphis-based real estate company in June and July 2016. Using sophisticated anonymization techniques, including the use of spoofed email addresses and Virtual Private Networks, the co-conspirators identified large financial transactions, initiated fraudulent email correspondence with relevant business parties and then redirected closing funds through a network of U.S.-based money mules to final destinations in Africa. Commonly referred to as business-email compromise, or BEC, this aspect of the scheme caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses to companies and individuals in Memphis. The defendant is specifically alleged to have directed the transfer of funds from a June 2016 BEC to a co-conspirator in Africa.

In addition to BEC, the defendant is also charged with perpetrating romance scams, fraudulent-check scams, gold-buying scams, advance-fee scams and credit card scams. The indictment alleges that the proceeds of these criminal activities, both money and goods, were shipped and/or transferred from the United States to locations in Africa through a complex network of both complicit and unwitting individuals that had been recruited through the various Internet scams. The defendant is specifically alleged to have created and used the alias “Sandra Lin” in furtherance of these crimes. From May through June of 2017, Peter is alleged to have communicated with an FBI agent acting in an undercover capacity to receive the proceeds of fraud. Along with his coconspirators over the life of the conspiracy, the defendant is believed to have caused millions of dollars in losses to victims across the globe.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Seven other individuals have pleaded guilty to being involved in these schemes. Benard E. Okorhi, 41, was extradited in March 2020 from Canada, and is detained pending trial. Two others, Olufalojimi Abegunde, 33, and Javier Luis Ramos-Alonso, 30, were convicted in March after a seven-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Abegunde received a 78-month sentence and Ramos-Alonso received a 31-month sentence for their roles in the scheme. Several individuals remain at large.

The FBI led the investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, as well as the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Accra, the FBI Transnational Organized Crime of the Eastern Hemisphere Section of the Criminal Investigative Division, the FBI’s Major Cyber Crimes Unit of the Cyber Division, FBI’s Money Laundering, Forfeiture, and Bank Fraud Unit of the Criminal Investigative Division, and FBI’s International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center all provided significant support in this case, as did the U.S. Marshals Service, INTERPOL Washington, the INTERPOL Unit of the Ghana Police Service, the Republic of Ghana’s Office of the Attorney-General & Ministry of Justice, and Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office.

Senior Trial Attorney Timothy C. Flowers of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra L. Ireland of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.

For more information or to view a list of aliases used by members of the conspiracy on dating websites and social media, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/victi ... ss-program.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at http://www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Help yourself by helping others - report your scammer here.
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