A Nigerian citizen, Solomon Ekunke Okpe, has been sentenced to four years in an American prison for his role in online scams that targeted U.S. citizens and banks, resulting in losses of up to $1 million for victims. The 31‑year‑old received the sentence after being extradited from Malaysia, where he had been arrested, to the United States to stand trial.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Okpe and his accomplices “devised and executed business email compromise (BEC), work‑from‑home, check‑cashing, romance, and credit‑card scams” between 2011 and 2017. Infosecurity magazine reported that the victims included individuals, banks, and businesses in the United States and other countries, all of whom were subjected to email‑phishing attacks designed to steal login credentials and other sensitive information. The DOJ described the schemes as intended to cause more than $1 million in losses to U.S. victims, although it is unclear whether that amount was actually reached.
Financial institutions identified by the DOJ as victims include First American Holding Company and MidFirst Bank. Okpe now joins fellow gang member Johnson Uke Obogo behind bars; Obogo was sentenced on March 20 to a year and a day in prison for his role in the scams, a considerably shorter term than Okpe’s.
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