Three Nigerian nationals, Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, James Junior Aliyu and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, are facing federal charges for their alleged involvement in a business email compromise (BEC) scam. The scam, which is said to have stolen more than US $6 million from victims, is said to have been perpetrated from February 2016 to July 2017.
Simon-Ebo was extradited from Canada, while Aliyu and Echefu were arrested in South Africa. If convicted, the men could face maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud conspiracy, for the money laundering conspiracy, and for each count of wire fraud. Last year, the FBI reported that more than US $43 billion had been lost through BEC and email account compromise scams since 2016.
The increasing adoption of teleworking is thought to have caused a rise in BEC attacks in recent years. As such, it is important for businesses to remain vigilant and take steps to protect themselves from these threats. These steps include multi-factor authentication, email filtering, and user awareness training.
In conclusion, three Nigerian nationals are facing federal charges in the US for their alleged involvement in a business email compromise (BEC) scam that stole more than US $6 million from victims. Though the FBI reported more than US $43 billion lost from such scams since 2016, businesses can protect themselves from attack by implementing multi-factor authentication, email filtering and user awareness training.
Key Points:
• Three Nigerian nationals face charges in US federal court related to a business email compromise (BEC) scam that is said to have stolen more than US $6 million from victims.
• The alleged perpetrators, Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, James Junior Aliyu and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, were extradited or arrested in Canada and South Africa, respectively.
• If convicted, the men could face maximum sentences of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud conspiracy, for the money laundering conspiracy, and for each count of wire fraud.
• The FBI reported more than US $43 billion lost from BEC and email account compromise scams since 2016.
• Businesses can protect themselves from attack by implementing multi-factor authentication, email filtering and user awareness training.
