Nigerian romance scammers swiped thousands of dollars from individuals, U.S. prosecutors say
U.S. prosecutors have charged 10 people with fraud-related crimes as part of a global romance scam in which people assume fake identities on dating websites to ask victims for money. Beginning in 2017, prosecutors say, the defendants worked with other conspirators who posed as U.S. residents working abroad. The scammers would at first would ask for small gifts, like gift cards or cell phones, and then ask for larger payments as the relationships evolved, all while being in Nigeria. The arrests in Oklahoma, New York and California nabbed suspects who moved money between banks accounts and protected the fake identities, prosecutors said. The indictment, unsealed Wednesday, comes as U.S. law enforcement continues to file charges in romance-adjacent scams. Business email compromise, one of the leading causes of cybercrime, occurs when thieves hijack a corporate email address and request monetary transfers, sometimes totaling hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. Veteran […]
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