A Nigerian behind an online fraud network which engineered scams worth more than $60 million has been arrested in southern oil city of Port Harcourt (AFP Photo/Issouf Sanogo)
Lagos
(AFP) - A Nigerian behind an online fraud network which engineered
scams worth more than $60 million (54 million euros) has been arrested
in southern oil city of
Port Harcourt, Interpol said on Monday.
"The
40-year-old Nigerian national, known as 'Mike', is believed to be
behind scams totalling more than $60 million involving hundreds of
victims worldwide," the international police organisation said in a
statement.
"In
one case, a target was conned into paying out $15.4 million," Interpol
said, indicating that the arrest was carried out with the support of
Nigeria's anti-graft agency the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC).
"The
network compromised email accounts of small to medium businesses around
the world including in Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Romania,
South Africa, Thailand and the United States," it said.
The
suspect ran a network of at least 40 people working from Nigeria,
Malaysia and South Africa which used malware and carried out the fraud,
and he also had money laundering contacts in China, Europe and the US
who provided bank account details for the illicit cash flow.
"Following
his arrest in Port Harcourt in southern Nigeria, a forensic examination
of devices seized by the EFCC showed he had been involved in a range of
criminal activities including business e-mail compromise and romance
scams," it said.
The
suspect and a fellow fraudster, 38, who was also arrested in the city,
face charges including hacking, conspiracy and obtaining money under
false pretences.
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