Top Nigerian 'cyber scammer' allegedly involved in worldwide scams worth £45m arrested
Criminal network compromises email accounts all over the world, scamming millions of pounds
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Nigerian man accused of being behind thousands of online frauds across the world has been arrested.
The 40-year-old Nigerian, identified only as "Mike", was allegedly the head of an international criminal network behind scams totalling more than $60m (£45m).
The criminal network compromised email accounts of small and medium-sized businesses all over the world, including in the US, Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Romania, South Africa and Thailand, Interpol said.
One target alone paid $15.4m (£11.6m).
"Mike" was arrested along with a 38-year-old accomplice in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in June.
Both are currently on administrative bail, implying officers do not yet have enough evidence to change them in court.
The network involved around 40 people in Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa who provided malware and carried out the frauds, and used money-laundering accounts in China, Europe and the US, Interpol said.
Such crime "poses a significant and growing threat, with tens of thousands of companies victimised in recent years," Noboru Nakatani, executive director of the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation, said in a statement.
"The public, and especially businesses, need to be alert to this type of cyber-enabled fraud."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments