‘Chairmen’ of $100 million scam operation extradited to US
What’s new: Four Ghanaian nationals have been extradited to the U.S. and charged for their involvement in a fraud operation that stole over $100 million through romance scams and business email compromise attacks. The defendants, identified as Isaac Oduro Boateng, Inusah Ahmed, Derrick Van Yeboah, and Patrick Kwame Asare, were part of a criminal organization that targeted individuals and businesses from 2016 to May 2023.
Who’s affected
Victims include vulnerable individuals, particularly older adults, who were deceived into believing they were in romantic relationships online, as well as businesses that were tricked into wiring funds due to spoofed email communications.
What to do
- Implement robust email security measures to prevent business email compromise.
- Educate employees about recognizing and reporting suspicious communications.
- Encourage individuals to verify the identity of online contacts before engaging in financial transactions.
