Living on another continent did not save cyberbandsters from justice.
The US Department of Justice has convicted a Nigerian citizen for participating in a business email compromise scam (BEC attack) that caused $1.5 million in damages.
Ebuka Raphael Umethi, aged 35, along with two alleged accomplices, used social engineering and malware to implement the fraudulent scheme.
BEC fraud involves the use of phishing emails and deceptive actions to get money or valuable data from businesses and organizations. According to the Ministry of Justice, Umethi began engaging in this type of fraud in February 2016, when one of his accomplices, Nigerian Franklin Ifeanichukwu Okwonna, sent him a phishing email template.
Since 2018, fraudsters have started receiving large amounts: $571,000 from a wholesale supplier in New York and $400,000 from a metal manufacturer in Texas. In the following years, criminals began to use fake domains, connect to VoIP numbers and communicate through the Discord platform designed for gamers.
The scammers also started sending emails with embedded malware, which allowed them to gain remote access to compromised computers.
The use of this method probably led to the fact that they were later joined by another participant — a citizen of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Naji Mohammedali Boutaish, who has not yet been convicted. According to the Justice Department's indictment, Butaish began working with the Nigerians in 2020, developing new malware for Umethi and Okwonna.
In 2021, a trio of scammers began using malware developed by Butaish, who, according to the FBI, sold it to both his accomplices and other interested parties.
Although the charges against all three were filed back in August 2022, Umethi and Okwonna were only arrested in January of this year. The delay was due to the fact that they were living in Nigeria, but the existence of an extradition treaty with the United States did not allow them to avoid prosecution.
At the same time, court documents indicate that Butaish has not yet been arrested, and since Saudi Arabia does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, it is not known whether he will be brought to trial at all.
Umethi's trial ended yesterday and the jury found him guilty on all charges; Okwonna was found guilty on May 20. Their final sentences will be handed down on August 27 and September 3, respectively. Umety faces a maximum sentence of 102 years in prison, but due to the complexity of federal regulations, the sentence is unlikely to be so harsh.
A few weeks ago, the Justice Department sentenced a Georgia man to ten years in prison for a $ 4.5 million BEC fraud scheme. In addition, the agency is still seeking the return of $ 5 million stolen from trade unions.
The US Department of Justice has convicted a Nigerian citizen for participating in a business email compromise scam (BEC attack) that caused $1.5 million in damages.
Ebuka Raphael Umethi, aged 35, along with two alleged accomplices, used social engineering and malware to implement the fraudulent scheme.
BEC fraud involves the use of phishing emails and deceptive actions to get money or valuable data from businesses and organizations. According to the Ministry of Justice, Umethi began engaging in this type of fraud in February 2016, when one of his accomplices, Nigerian Franklin Ifeanichukwu Okwonna, sent him a phishing email template.
Since 2018, fraudsters have started receiving large amounts: $571,000 from a wholesale supplier in New York and $400,000 from a metal manufacturer in Texas. In the following years, criminals began to use fake domains, connect to VoIP numbers and communicate through the Discord platform designed for gamers.
The scammers also started sending emails with embedded malware, which allowed them to gain remote access to compromised computers.
The use of this method probably led to the fact that they were later joined by another participant — a citizen of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Naji Mohammedali Boutaish, who has not yet been convicted. According to the Justice Department's indictment, Butaish began working with the Nigerians in 2020, developing new malware for Umethi and Okwonna.
In 2021, a trio of scammers began using malware developed by Butaish, who, according to the FBI, sold it to both his accomplices and other interested parties.
Although the charges against all three were filed back in August 2022, Umethi and Okwonna were only arrested in January of this year. The delay was due to the fact that they were living in Nigeria, but the existence of an extradition treaty with the United States did not allow them to avoid prosecution.
At the same time, court documents indicate that Butaish has not yet been arrested, and since Saudi Arabia does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, it is not known whether he will be brought to trial at all.
Umethi's trial ended yesterday and the jury found him guilty on all charges; Okwonna was found guilty on May 20. Their final sentences will be handed down on August 27 and September 3, respectively. Umety faces a maximum sentence of 102 years in prison, but due to the complexity of federal regulations, the sentence is unlikely to be so harsh.
A few weeks ago, the Justice Department sentenced a Georgia man to ten years in prison for a $ 4.5 million BEC fraud scheme. In addition, the agency is still seeking the return of $ 5 million stolen from trade unions.
