There were “167 in Nigeria, 18 in Turkey and 15 in Ghana. Arrests were also made in France, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom”.
The United State Federal Bureau of Investigation said it has arrested 167 alleged Business Email Compromise fraudsters in Nigeria and seized nearly $3.7m.
The US Department of Justice made the disclosure in a statement released on Tuesday, stating that a total of 281 arrests were made within the United States and overseas.
There were “167 in Nigeria, 18 in Turkey and 15 in Ghana. Arrests were also made in France, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom”.
The FBI said the alleged fraudsters do not only focus on businesses but also individuals.
It said same criminal organisations that perpetrate BEC also exploit individual victims, often real estate purchasers, the elderly, and others, by convincing them to make wire transfers to bank accounts controlled by the criminals.
The statement said, “Foreign citizens perpetrate many BEC scams. Those individuals are often members of transnational criminal organizations, which originated in Nigeria but have spread throughout the world.”