Crime
FBI seizes $6m from crypto scammers targeting US citizens
Men of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have seized $6 million worth of crypto assets from Southeast Asian scammers who were defrauding Americans with confidence investment schemes.
The scammers were based in Southeast Asia and were able to pull off their schemes on US citizens from there.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia raised alarm on the growing cases of fraud in the country stating that one or more individual’s lost millions of dollars after they were sold on investment schemes that appeared legitimate.
The FBI during its investigations traced the stolen funds on the Blockchain and fished out multiple crypto addresses linked to the scam and were still holding over $6 million of the victim’s digital assets.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced the development in a recent press release.
“The United States seized over $6 million worth of cryptocurrency from perpetrators overseas. The perpetrators in Southeast Asia targeted one or more individuals in the United States and fraudulently obtained millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency through a cryptocurrency confidence investment scheme.
The FBI was able to trace victim funds on the blockchain and located multiple cryptocurrency wallet addresses which still held victim funds totaling more than $6 million.
Cryptocurrency confidence investment schemes begin with criminals contacting potential victims through seemingly misdirected text messages, dating applications, or professional meetups or investment groups. Next, using various means of manipulation, the criminal gains the victim’s affection and trust.” The US Attorney stated.
FBI Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough commented on the development too lamenting the damage such scams are causing to hardworking Americans.
These types of schemes are devastating, and they’re impacting thousands of Americans every day,” “The FBI has seen victims lose millions of dollars, and take second and third mortgages on their homes, all in the hopes of finding the next big investment opportunity.
The seizure of millions of dollars is proof the FBI will stop at nothing to find these fraudsters who insist on taking advantage of the American public. It doesn’t matter where they are, we will leverage all of our resources and work with our partners domestically and internationally to stop them from stealing people’s hard-earned money.”
Global stablecoin issuer Tether said that it assisted the FBI in the operation by freezing the accounts of the scammers leading to the FBI recovering the funds.
The US attorney’s office confirmed that the majority of the victims of the scam were approached through unsolicited messages, dating apps, and investment groups.
After building up the confidence and Trust of the user the scammers invite them to invest in fraudulent investment schemes which are usually clones of legitimate ones.
The victims in the long run lose all the money that they set aside for the investment.
Crime
NDLEA arrests Canadian at Lagos airport for ‘importing bags of cannabis’
The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Adrienne Munju, a Canadian, allegedly importing a large consignment of synthetic cannabis.
In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the 41-year-old suspect was arrested on October 3 during the inward clearance of passengers on a KLM airline flight from Canada at terminal 1 of the Lagos airport.
Babafemi added that the Munju was caught with 74 parcels of the illicit substance weighing 35.20 kg stuffed in two of her three bags.
“In her statement, she claimed she was recruited to traffic the consignment through an online platform for 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos. She said she took the offer because she needed the money to pay for her ongoing master’s degree programme in Canada,” the NDLEA statement reads.
Similarly, the anti-drug agency intercepted 13,298,000 pills of opioids and 338,253 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup at the Port Harcourt ports, Onne, Rivers.
Babafemi said the seized consignment is worth over “N9 billion in street value” and included Tramadol, Tramaking Quick Action Tramadol, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol and Carisoprodol, among others.
He said that the opioids were recovered in three containers coming from India, targeted by the NDLEA during a 100 per cent joint examination of the cargoes.
“NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos on Thursday, October 3, intercepted 100 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 50kg. The consignment was packed in 20 parcels, each in five jumbo bags concealed in a container with four units of imported vehicles that came from Canada,” the statement reads.
“Though the container had earlier been cleared out of the ESS Libra Bonded Terminal in Ikorodu but based on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives were able to trace it to a warehouse in Ikorodu where the illicit consignments were discovered in one of the imported vehicles, a Toyota Sienna bus. A suspect, Abubakar Shuaibu Ibrahim has already been taken into custody in connection with the seizure.”
Crime
EFCC arrests 43 internet fraudsters in Port Harcourt
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has arrested 43 suspected internet fraudsters in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
In a statement on Thursday, Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said the suspects were arrested during a sting operation on Wednesday at Rumuekeni and Iwofe areas of the state.
“They were arrested for alleged internet fraud following actionable intelligence surveillance on their suspected involvement in computer-related offences,” the statement reads.
“Items recovered from them include different brands of mobile phones, laptops, international passports and Automated Teller Machine, ATM cards of different banks, five vehicles, two motorcycles and a Point of Sale, POS, machine.
“The suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation.”
Crime
NDLEA seizes 1000kg of illicit substances, nabs 420 suspects in Kaduna
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Kaduna State Command, said its operatives have seized 1,045.93 kg of various illicit substances and arrested 420 suspects in the third quarter of the year.
Its commander, Mr Samaila Danmalam, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Kaduna.
Danmalam said, “The command had within the period under review arrested a total of 420 suspects, comprising 404 males and 16 females.
“The figure represents both drug dealers, drug users and traffickers.”
The commander also disclosed that the command has made seizures of various illicit substances.
He said, “The illicit substances included Cocaine, Cannabis Sativa, Rohypnol, Tramadol, Methamphetamine, and other psychotropic substances grossly weighing 1,045.93 kg.
“The command seized a total of 1,393 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and equally seized four locally made arms in the course of its numerous operations in the period being reported.
“The command equally secured the conviction of 30 drug offenders and charged a total of 54 suspects, while investigations on others are ongoing.”
Danmalam said in its non-kinetic approach to combating the drug menace through drug demand reduction activities, the command carried out various sensitization and awareness programmes.
“It counselled 50 drug users while it rehabilitated 50 drug-dependent persons, who successfully recovered and were reintegrated into mainstream society,” he stated.
He said the command would continue to combat illicit drug trafficking even as he appealed for timely and useful information for quick response and proactive measures.
Last month, NDLEA operatives intercepted consignments of cocaine and pharmaceutical opioids concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads.
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