- The suspects were arrested in different parts of the United States by security operatives. They stand accused of being involved in a fraudulent activity known as a ‘Business Email Compromise’ (BEC) scheme. New research is now shedding light on one of the actors tied to the scams—and the other pandemic hustles they have going. The United States government released full details and identities of the 80 suspected fraudsters, with many being Nigerians, arrested in the country. The fraudsters used a variety of cyber fraud methods to attempt to steal $40 million in total from victims in 10 countries as well as the US. Here's how to avoid them. There are big Nigerian crime rings in Poland, Russia and Bangkok. Nearly 300 people — the bulk in Nigeria and the U.S. — have been arrested in an internationally coordinated law enforcement operation aimed at … FBI Takes Down Nigerian Fraudsters In $46 Million Case Eighty people are charged with stealing at least $46 million through schemes that targeted businesses, the elderly and anyone susceptible to a romance scam. U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Takes Military Cooperation to New Heights Looking Back on 2020 with a sense of optimism toward 2021; The United States Condemns the Kidnapping of Students in Kankara, Nigeria On Thursday, the Secret Service issued an alert about a massive operation to file fraudulent unemployment claims in states around the country, like Washington and Massachusetts. As millions of people around the United States scrambled in recent weeks to collect unemployment benefits and disbursements through the federal Cares Act, officials warned about the looming threat of Covid-19-related scams online. On Sunday evening, a Scattered Canary actor also filed a fraudulent unemployment claim in Hawaii. In a video published online by Dubai police, officers working in “Operation Fox Hunt 2” stormed into Hushpuppi’s home as he slept and arrested him, in one of a series of coordinated raids against him and other co-conspirators. The Agari researchers add that the personal data fraudsters are using right now, like home addresses and Social Security numbers, may come not only from ancient data breaches but from a spike in payroll data theft in March and April. 1 year ago. "Criminals will use stolen personally identifiable information to file fraudulent state unemployment claims. Most web platforms will interpret all of these as different email accounts, while Gmail doesn't recognize periods as changing its own addresses. The pair have been extradited to the USA where they await charges and trial. The club was not named by the agency. WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. "Scattered Canary has committed unemployment fraud along with a number of other government services-focused frauds like disaster relief fraud, Social Security fraud, and student aid fraud," Agari's Hassold says. Once scammers get the government to pay out, a Secret Service spokesperson said that they "use social engineering techniques to recruit unsuspecting individuals to launder illicitly obtained funds in order to conceal the identity, source and destination." In addition to those two states, the Secret Service said it also sees evidence of attacks in North Carolina, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Florida. Nigeria Customs Surpass Target, Generate Over N1.5tr In 2020. Abbas and others “conspired to launder £100m (approximately $124m) from an English Premier League soccer club,” the Department of Justice said. This is said to be one of the largest scam busts in the history of the United States, involving victims from about 11 countries. Wired may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. A Nigerian Instagram star who boasted online about his lavish lifestyle of private jets, designer clothes and luxury cars has been busted in a $431 million cyber scam, according to a report. So far this has netted hundreds of thousands of dollars in scam payments. If convicted Abbas could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. 05.19.2020 07:00 AM. But as millions of people around the world face economic ruin, now is an especially cruel moment to target government programs designed to help them. Last modified on Sat 4 Jul 2020 14.12 EDT. When scammers claim unemployment benefits in someone's name, they are either getting to the money before the victim has a chance to, or are filing on behalf of people who haven't actually lost their jobs. A months-long investigation by the FBI led to his arrest last month by authorities in the United Arab Emirates, where Abbas was a resident. Nigerian Navy Warns against Antics of Recruitment Fraudsters. Investigators were able to track his movements by following his posts, the DoJ said. ‘Ray Hushpuppi’ is alleged to have laundered hundreds of millions of dollars, Last modified on Sat 4 Jul 2020 19.12 BST. Officials attributed the activity to Nigerian scammers and said millions of dollars had already been stolen. Mike Pompeo Issues Statement About Nigerian Fraudsters - Crime (2) - Nairaland. Agari says it was accepted. Regular unemployment, the extra $600 per week that out-of-work Americans can claim during the pandemic, plus the one-time $1,200 payment eligible adults are receiving under the Cares Act are all vulnerable targets for cybercriminals. The United States Condemns the Kidnapping of Students in Kankara, Nigeria; Passing of Nigerian Ambassador to the United States; Press Releases. The United States has announced the arrest and prosecution of 80 alleged fraudsters, many of them Nigerians, in what it called a massive conspiracy to steal millions of dollars through various schemes. AP Photo/Reed Saxon Caught. Nigerian internet fraudsters, best known for romance scams and infamous business propositions from “Nigerian princes,” are now operating with a lot more sophistication. Date: Saturday, 26 December 2020 at 10:22 AM. FBI special agents obtained custody of Abbas and took him to Chicago, where he appeared in court on Friday morning, the DoJ said. Then Scattered Canary uses a network of money mules within the US and around the world to route the money. The email security firm Agari today will release findings that an actor within the Nigerian cybercriminal group Scattered Canary is filing fraudulent unemployment claims and receiving benefits from multiple states, while also receiving Cares payouts from the Internal Revenue Service. Published. The networks, like many criminal fraud groups around the world, have prolifically used business email compromise or BEC schemes, deceiving companies into making money transfers. "They're also involved in committing fraud against Cares payments.". Phishing scams are getting more and more sophisticated, to the point where they’re fooling even security experts. The confessions of Marcus Hutchins, the hacker, ♀️ Want the best tools to get healthy? Now they're here. The Nigerian Fraudsters Ripping Off the Unemployment System. A Nigerian crime ring siphoned millions of dollars from US unemployment programs amid COVID-19 shutdowns, officials say ... Aaron Holmes. Abbas is prominent among a cohort of famous social media stars celebrated in Nigerian popular culture despite being long suspected of links to fraud networks. NIGERIAN FRAUDSTERS. Lagos April 10, 2020. In the case of the one-time Cares Act payments, scammers are submitting through the special "non-filers" IRS category to divert those payments into their own pockets. Agari researchers say that Scattered Canary has filed at least 82 Cares claims, of which 30 were accepted by the IRS. This is consistent with the Secret Service's warning that Washington has been hit hardest by scam campaigns. Ad Choices, The Nigerian Fraudsters Ripping Off the Unemployment System. The Fate of Vision 2020- Vision 20.20.20 as is its expanded form was envisaged as the programme to make Nigeria one of the world’s 20 economic power houses by 2020. An NCIS spokesman confirmed that Nigerian fraudsters had been found working "from the Government to the private sector. £1m fraudsters who funded notorious Nigerian organised crime gang convicted 08 May 2019 | News , Fraud and economic crime Three siblings who were working directly for the leader of a notorious Nigerian crime gang have been convicted of laundering nearly £1m for the Black Axe organised crime syndicate through UK bank accounts. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our lives—from culture to business, science to design. The scammers will set up one generic-looking Gmail address and then make accounts to submit fraudulent claims adding periods into different parts of the address. BEC fraudsters participate in a wide variety of hustles—from Craigslist rental scams to payroll data theft and snagging people's tax refunds—to make money and build out a sort of scam toolkit. 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