The US said a total of 74 persons have been arrested as part of an effort to combat email scam artists, with 30 of them being identified as Nigerians.
The US said a total of 74 persons have been arrested as part of an effort to combat email scam artists, with 30 of them being identified as Nigerians.
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The suspects are reported to have convinced correspondents to wire them money for fraudulent activities.
The BBC reports that scams are “prevalent” in the US, with security officials taking steps to pursue perpetrators “regardless of where they are located”.
More than $16m (£12m) has been seized, recovered or disrupted by US authorities since January 2018, the report said.
All 74 suspects were arrested following a collaborative effort between local and federal law enforcement agencies.
Some of the arrested persons were reported to have tricked people into transferring money to them, whiles others also tried to impersonate a business partner or colleague.
Two Nigerians living in Dallas are alleged to have posed as property sellers when requesting a $246,000 wire transfer from a real estate attorney.
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However, US authorities managed to apprehend both of them, including their accomplices who received the transfers from the victims.
According to the US authorities, the arrests occurred in the US, Nigeria, Canada, Mauritius and Poland.
“This operation demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises that target American citizens and their businesses,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said with regards to the arrest of scammers.
