TheNewsGuru

Tag: Cyber Fraud

  • Court jails Nigerian four years imprisonment over $1m cyber-fraud in US

    Court jails Nigerian four years imprisonment over $1m cyber-fraud in US

    A Nigerian, Solomon Ekunke Okpe, 31, has been sentenced to four years in an American jail for taking part in online scams that targeted US citizens and banks, leading up to $1 million in losses to victims.

    The 31-year-old was handed the prison term after being extradited from Malaysia, where he was arrested, to the US to stand trial.

    The US Department of Justice, while announcing the sentence said Okpe and his accomplices “devised and executed business email compromise (BEC), work-from-home, check-cashing, romance, and credit card scams” between 2011 and 2017.

    According to Infosecurity magazine, targeted victims included individuals, banks, and businesses in the US and other countries, who were subjected to email phishing attacks aimed at stealing login credentials and “other sensitive information.”

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that DoJ described the scams as “intended to cause more than $1 million in losses to US victims” although it is not clear if the cyber-fraud gang achieved this nefarious goal.

    Financial institutions named by the DoJ as victims include First American Holding Company and MidFirst Bank.

    Okpe now joins his fellow gang member, Johnson Uke Obogo, behind bars.

    Obogo was sentenced on March 20 to a year and a day in prison for his role in the scams, a considerably shorter tariff than Okpe’s.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United States.

    It is equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries. The department is headed by the U.S. attorney general, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president’s Cabinet. The current attorney general is Merrick Garland, who was sworn in on March 11, 2021.

    The modern incarnation of the Justice Department was formed in 1870 during the Ulysses S. Grant presidency. The department comprises federal law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

    It also has eight major divisions of lawyers who represent the U.S. federal government in litigation: the Civil, Criminal, Civil Rights, Antitrust, Tax, Environment and Natural Resources, National Security, and Justice Management Divisions. The department also includes the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts.

    The primary actions of the DOJ are representing the U.S. government in legal matters and running the federal prison system.

    The department is also responsible for reviewing the conduct of local law enforcement as directed by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

  • Cyber Fraud: US Court sentences Hushpuppi to 11 Years in prison

    Cyber Fraud: US Court sentences Hushpuppi to 11 Years in prison

    A United States Central District Court in California has sentenced alleged Nigerian cyber fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, to 11 years imprisonment for cyber fraud.

    Hushpuppi, who had already spent two years in prison, is now expected to spend nine more years behind bars in the US.

    The controversial social media celebrity was arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in June 2020 alongside 12 accomplices over allegations of hacking, impersonation, scamming, banking fraud, and identity theft, and thereafter extradited to the US for prosecution.

    He was also accused of extensive fraud scheme that robbed his victims of their money in the U.S, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and other places.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that in a final appeal to Judge Otis Wright, ahead of his scheduled sentencing on September 19, Hushpuppi wrote a personal letter to the court narrating his source of wealth, criminal adventure and regrets.

    He apologized to his family members for bringing them shame while commending the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for doing a thorough job in bringing him to justice.

    On September 19, Judge Otis Wright delayed Hushpuppi’s sentencing to November 3.

    The Judge had initially rejected the plea of the defendant’s motion for a delay of judgment.

    He was finally sentenced to 11 years in jail by the United States Central District Court in California.

    Following this development, Hushpuppi will spend nine years in prison because he had spent two years already in the US following his arrest in Dubai in 2020.

    The US government last month urged the District Court in Central California to sentence Hushpuppi, to 135 months in jail for fraud.

    It gave its reasons for proposing the equivalent of 11 years and three months jail time forHushpuppi in its court filings.

    The prosecutors stated he was claimed to be one of the best cleaners in the prison where he has been remanded since his arrest in 2021.

    It was gathered that his report card for the Central Valley workshop for prisoners showed that, between July 2021 when he enrolled and November 2021 when he completed work, Hushpuppi put up “very good” in attitude, quality of work, dependability and productivity.

    The international fraudster was arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in June 2020 over an extensive fraudulent scheme that has robbed victims of their money in the U.S., Qatar, the United Kingdom, and other places.

    He was taken to the U.S, where he was charged with fraud and money laundering.

    In July 2021, Hushpuppi pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in money laundering.

    He admitted to conspiring with multiple persons within and outside the U.S to launder the proceeds of the fraudulent scheme perpetrated against persons and businesses in different countries.

  • Cross-Border Fraud: How To Protect Yourself – Cyber Security analyst,Ben Allen

    Cross-Border Fraud: How To Protect Yourself – Cyber Security analyst,Ben Allen

    Cross-border fraud refers to any scam or fraud in which a criminal in one country uses deception to steal money or valuables from a victim in another country.

    In the past, cross-border fraud was typically perpetrated through postal mail, phone, fax or ads in newspapers and magazines. Social media, email and the internet have made it possible for fraudsters to carry out their criminal schemes on a global scale, targeting millions of potential victims. One study estimates that the amount of money lost every year to fraud, already in the billions, will increase 52% by 2024.

    Cross-border fraud takes many forms:

    • Goods ordered and paid for but never received—You send money to someone in another country to pay for merchandise that never arrives. When you try to contact the person to resolve the problem, they have disappeared. Scammers often create fake websites to trick people into paying for nonexistent items or giving information about their credit cards and bank accounts. You may be asked to pay additional amounts for customs fees and shipping for an item that you never receive.

    • Spoofing and phishing—You receive an official-looking email that appears to be from your bank or an online retailer, telling you that you have just purchased an item for several hundred dollars or that you need to update payment details for a recent purchase. The email includes a link to enter credit card details or the username and password for your e-commerce account. The information you enter will be used to steal from your account.

    Investigating cross-border fraud is complicated because the criminal is in a different country from the victim.

    Approximately 60% of the consumers who have never purchased something online from another country say that they are afraid of becoming victims of cross-border fraud. However, only a fraction of a percent of online shoppers has actually experienced cross-border fraud.

    You can avoid becoming a victim by being vigilant:

    • Use common sense. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

    • Make sure you are buying from a secure website. The URL should have a padlock icon and “https:” in front of the URL.

    • Resist the temptation to buy foreign lottery tickets, and ignore emails or letters that announce you have won a prize. Would a genuine lottery or sweepstakes notify winners by email?

    • Do not respond to phone or email alerts claiming to be from your bank, an online retailer such as Amazon or a government agency such as the IRS. Log in and check your accounts online, or call the bank directly if you suspect there might be a problem.

    • Pay with a credit card or a payment account system that offers fraud protection and other guarantees. Never wire money to another bank or pay with money orders or gift cards, unless you are absolutely sure whom you are dealing with. Once money has been wired to another bank and the recipient has withdrawn it, your chances of getting it back are very slim.

    • If you are selling something, never accept a payment that is more than your asking price and send money back to the buyer, no matter how convincing their story is. E-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Etsy or eBay offer sellers many protections, as well as convenient payment systems and assistance with shipping. If a buyer attempts to negotiate with you by text or email outside of the e-commerce platform, drop the transaction.

    • If someone contacts you on social media or by email, requesting help to move a large sum of money out of a foreign country, report them and then block them or delete the email. Report unsolicited email offers to spam@uce.gov.

    • While most online retailers require you to pay for merchandise before they ship it, never pay advance fees to receive a prize or discount. Do not pay a retailer additional sums for unexpected customs duties. A legitimate retailer includes these in the price or arranges for you to pay such tariffs when you take delivery of the goods.

    If you are a victim of cross-border fraud, report it immediately to local law enforcement and to your bank. By acting quickly, you might be able to recover some of your losses and preserve digital evidence for future legal action.

    Ben Allen

  • Police arrest 62-year-old man, wife for N52m cyber fraud

    Police arrest 62-year-old man, wife for N52m cyber fraud

    Operatives of Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) Ikoyi, Lagos, have arrested George Ewere, 62, and his wife for alleged cyber fraud involving N52 million.

    The Spokesperson of PSFU, SP Eyitayo Johnson, said in a statement on Monday that the suspects were arrested for conspiracy, cyber fraud/Business Email Compromise, Criminal Conversion and Stealing.

    He said that the arrests followed a petition addressed to the Commissioner of Police, PSFU by the Law Firm of Athan Ogbulie & Co. alleging diversion of the aforesaid sum during Inter-Bank wire transfer of the funds.

    “The suspect and members of the syndicate targeted and compromised the email accounts of businesses that frequently make wire payments and waited for the right time to substitute the original account that should receive the money.

    “According to the suspect, the hack which happened in February 2022 was achieved by spoofing on the victim company’s email account/website.

    “Which makes it possible to carry out slight variations to the legitimate email address of the company in order to fool the victim into thinking the fake accounts are authentic.

    “Spear phishing emails were also sent to the company to gain access to company accounts, calendars and data.”

    Johnson said that some of the money which was diverted into five different banks had been recovered.

    “Some of money which was diverted into accounts belonging to the suspect, his wife and daughter has been recovered as exhibit.

    “While effort is on to locate the rest of the funds and other members of the syndicate.

    “Part of the money was also discovered to have been withdrawn via Point-of-Sale (POS)and Automated Teller Machine (ATM) at different locations.

    “The suspects will be charged to Court as soon as investigation is concluded.”

    Johnson said that the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, CP Anyasinti Josephine, has advised individuals and businesses to take note of the some precautions in order to mitigate against Business Email Compromise (BEC).

    “Be careful of information shared online (such as pet names, birthday, don’t click on anything in an unsolicited email/sms asking you to update or verify account information.

    “Carefully examine the email address, URL, and spelling used in any correspondence; set up two factor (or multi-factor) authentication on any account that allows it.

    “Be careful what you download. Never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know.

    “Verify payment and purchase requests in person, if possible, or by calling the person to make sure it is legitimate,” he said.

  • Cyber fraud: Court orders interim forfeiture of two houses, cars linked to Invictus Obi serving 10-year jail term in US

    Cyber fraud: Court orders interim forfeiture of two houses, cars linked to Invictus Obi serving 10-year jail term in US

    A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of two houses in Abuja and two cars traced to the convicted cybercriminal, Obinwanne George Okeke also known as Invictus Obi.

    Justice Peter Lifu made the order on October 29, 2021 following an ex parte motion filed and argued by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Chinenye Okezie.

    According to the EFCC, the properties will be used to restitute foreign victims of Invictus Obi’s fraud through the United States of America Consulate.

    The houses to be forfeited are House 4 Oakville Estate, Kado Kuchi, Abuja and another five-bedroom duplex at Standard Estate, Kabusa, Abuja.

    The vehicles are a Toyota Corolla with Registration Number: RBC6238N and another unregistered Toyota Corolla Sport.

    In granting the order, Justice Lifu held: “I have listened to the submission of the counsel to the applicant vis-a-vis affidavit filed in support. I hold in my considered view that this application is meritorious and ought to be granted

    “Consequently this application is hereby granted as prayed.”

    The judge also ordered that the Commission should publish the order in a widely read newspaper in Nigeria within 14 days for any interested party to show cause why the order should not be permanently made.

    He adjourned till November 30 to make a final decision on the forfeiture application.

    The EFCC supported its application for the forfeiture with an affidavit sworn by one of its investigators, Usman Abdulhamid.

    Abdulhamid noted that Invictus Obi had already forfeited N280,555,010, N240,250,904.46 and N40,304,106.19 to the Federal Government.

    He said: “On further investigation by the Commission, two more properties were traced belonging to the convict, along with two vehicles parked in the residence.

    “This application is pertinent in order to restitute the victims of the fraud through the United States of America Consulate.

    “This matter is of very urgent public interest and concern as it directly tarnishes the image of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Nigeria among the comity of nations.

    “The properties sought to be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria by the Applicant were not procured through legitimate earnings of the Respondent but are reasonably suspected to be part of the fraudulent activities which the Respondent has been convicted for.”

    In 2016, Obi was celebrated by Forbes as one of Africa’s “most outstanding 30 entrepreneurs under the age of 30.”

    He is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in America for his involvement in a computer-based intrusion fraud scheme amounting to $11 million.

  • Ighalo sent to prison for internet fraud

    Ighalo sent to prison for internet fraud

    Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced Destiny Ighalo and 10 others for internet fraud.

    They were sentenced to various prison terms, for fraud.

    The convicts were prosecuted by the Benin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for offences bordering on impersonation and obtaining by false pretence.

    Those convicted are Anhwo Samson, Harry Omo-egbekun Hamilton, Odiase Martins, Okuson Godspower, Destiny Ighalo, Andrew Onoyoa, Omebu Happy, Enofe Michael, Adelakun Abdulkareem, Akpowowo Favour and Imaah Joseph.

    They all pleaded guilty to one count charge each preferred against them by the Commission.

    In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Ahmed Arogha prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

    However, John Okhuihievbe and O.A. Egharevba, counsel to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy as the defendants were first time offenders who had become remorseful.

    Justice Mohammed convicted and sentenced all the defendants to various terms of imprisonment.

    Samson bagged two years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000. He is also to forfeit N3,684,439.18 to the federal government.

    Ighalo got two years imprisonment or a fine 500,000. Ighalo is to forfeit a Luxus SUV 330 model, laptops and phones to the federal government.

    Andrew Onoyoa was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment or a fine of N1 million. He is also to forfeit Luxus 230 SUV and a Toyota Camry car to the federal government.

    The others defendants Godspower, Happy, Enofe, Joseph, Favour, Abdulkareem and Martin were sentenced to two years imprisonment each with an option of fine of N200,000 each. Hamilton bagged two years imprisonment or a fine of N100,000.

    All the convicts are to undertake in writing to be of good behaviour forthwith.

    The charge against Samson reads: “that you Anhwo Samson (aka Anhwo Samcity), Adelakun Abdulkareem (aka Terry Walker), Omebu Happy (aka Christ David), Imaah Joseph (aka Pietro Jones) Enofe Michael (aka Charlotte Crypto B.T.C Dan Trader) and Akpowowo Favour Omanufogho (aka Prof. Melisa Dan) on or about the 10 day of July 2020 at Efemena Close, Ozoro within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspired to defraud by sending electronic messages materially misrepresenting facts to white women with intent to defraud them and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 14(2) the same Act”.

  • Alleged Cyber Fraud: Court admits CD as evidence in trial of “Naira Marley”

    Alleged Cyber Fraud: Court admits CD as evidence in trial of “Naira Marley”

    A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday, admitted an optical disc in evidence in the ongoing trial of popular Nigerian singer Azeez Fashola alias ”Naira Marley”.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on May 14, 2019, charged the singer, with 11 counts, bordering on conspiracy, possession of counterfeit credit cards and fraud.

    One Yad Isril, who is said to be at large, was also named in the charge

    Fashola, who sang the popular song: “Am I a Yahoo Boy?”, was arraigned on May 20, 2019 before Justice Nicholas Oweibo, but he pleaded not guilty.

    The court had granted him bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum.

    On Wednesday, the court ruled on the admissibility of an evidence tendered through a prosecution witness after counsel had argued for against its admissbility.

    In his ruling, Justice Nicolas Oweibo admitted the evidence which is a CD containing phone analysis of the defendant tendered through the witness

    The court admitted the evidence on the grounds that the IPhone which was analysed had already been admitted in evidence before the court.

    The court consequently, overruled the earlier objection of defence counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, SAN, to the admissbility of the document and marked same as exhibit F.

    ” l have considered the agreement of both parties as well as the ground for the objection, I consider the C.D to be admissible in view of the nature of this case and the evidence of other prosecution witness.

    “Accordingly, it is hereby admitted in evidence and marked exhibit F.” the court held.

    Meanwhile, the trial could not continue on Wednesday, as the defence counsel had sought for an adjournment.

    The adjournment was not opposed by prosecution.

    Justice Oweibo consequently, adjourned continuation of trial until March 8 and 11

    According to the EFCC, the defendant committed the offences on different dates between Nov. 26, 2018 and Dec.11, 2018, as well as May 10, 2019.

    The commission alleged that Fashola and his accomplices conspired to use different Access Bank ATM cards to defraud their victims.

    It alleged that the defendant used Access Bank credit card number 5264711020433662, issued to another person, in a bid to obtain fraudulent financial gains.

    The EFCC also said that he possessed counterfeit credit cards belonging to different people, with intent to defraud which amounted to theft.

    The anti graft agency said the offence, contravened the provisions of sections 123 (1) (b), 27 (1) and 33(9) of Cyber Crime (Prohibition) Prevention Act, 2015.

  • Fraud: UNIPORT renounces 4 students arrested by EFCC

    Fraud: UNIPORT renounces 4 students arrested by EFCC

    The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) has renounced four students arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged involvement in cyber fraud.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports this was contained in a statement released on Friday by Sam Kpenu, the university’s Public Relations Officer.

    According to the statement, the university did not find the names of the four students arrested by the EFCC on Thursday in its record book.

    “The University of Port Harcourt has been drawn to a media report on the arrest of four persons by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission erroneously reported to be students at the University of Port Harcourt.

    “The said persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in cybercrime. The authorities of the university wish to state categorically that the persons arrested are not students at the University of Port Harcourt; that university has gone through its record and no such names are found in the record book of the University of Port Harcourt.

    “The University of Port Harcourt is not a breeding ground for criminals but a towering citadel of learning that turns out polished products who are making waves all around the globe,” the statement read.

    EFCC said the quartet, who allegedly defrauded 15 victims of $111,500 are Prince Hyacinth, Rex Emadifie Oghene, Odili Ifeayi and Uduak Samuel Williams.

    They were picked up on Thursday, August 20, 2020 from their hideout at Chibiak Avenue, Elenpranwo, Ada George, Port Harcourt.

    Upon their arrest, the following items were recovered: one Tecno Spark 4 belonging to Prince Hyacinth; one iPhone 11 Pro Max, two Infinix Hot and one apple Laptop belonging to Odili Ifeayi; one iPhone 7 and two iPhone 11 belonging to Rex Emadifie Oghene and one iPhone 8+, one Acer Laptop and one HP Laptop belonging Uduak Samuel Williams.

    Preliminary investigation by the EFCC established that the suspects are majorly involved in a romance scam and also act as pickers for organized ring of fraudsters.

    While Prince Hyacinth parades himself as a Spain-based marine engineer to bait his victims, Rex Emadifie Oghene poses as a rig engineer based in the United State.

    The two other suspects, Odili Ifeayi and Uduak Samuel Williams present themselves as rig/marine engineers to defraud their victims.

    The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded, according to the EFCC.