FBI Releases Aliases of 3 Most Wanted Nigerian Yahoo Boys, Publishes Photos
- The FBI listed Felix Osilama Okpoh, Nnamdi Orson Benson, and Micheal Olorunyomi as wanted for their alleged roles in a Business Email Compromise scheme
- The three Nigerian nationals allegedly operated under aliases and are believed to be currently residing in Nigeria
- The scheme reportedly targeted over 70 businesses across the United States, with federal arrest warrants issued for all three suspects
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The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has published wanted listings for three Nigerian men allegedly linked to a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme that drained more than $6,000,000 (N7,979,220,000) from over 70 American businesses, revealing the aliases each suspect used during the alleged operation.
The three men, Felix Osilama Okpoh, Nnamdi Orson Benson, and Micheal Olorunyomi, are all Nigerian nationals born between 1983 and 1989. All three are believed to currently reside in Nigeria, according to the FBI's cyber wanted listings.
Source: Getty Images
US FBI: Aliases, alleged roles in fraud
1.Felix Osilama Okpoh went by three alternative (Yahoo) names:
- Felix Okpoh
- Felix Osilama
- "Junior"
He was indicted on 21 August 2019 in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska in Omaha. A federal arrest warrant followed the next day. He is accused of supplying hundreds of bank accounts to co-conspirators Richard Izuchukwu Uzuh and Nnamdi Orson Benson. Those accounts allegedly received fraudulent wire transfers from victim businesses totalling over $1,000,000.
2. Nnamdi Orson Benson went by two aliases for his Yahoo schemes:
- Known by the aliases Nnamdi Benson and
- "Namo"
Benson was indicted alongside Okpoh on the same date. Beyond supplying bank accounts used to receive fraudulent transfers, Benson allegedly ran romance fraud and advanced fee fraud schemes independently.
3. Micheal Olorunyomi operated under the names:
- Ayomide Michael
- Michael Olorunyomi,
- "Ayo,"
- "A.Y.,"
He faces additional charges beyond wire fraud conspiracy, including identity theft and access device fraud. He was indicted separately on 13 November 2019, with a warrant issued the following day.
The FBI alleges he specifically targeted vulnerable elderly individuals and widows through romance fraud schemes, personally defrauding victims of more than $1,000,000. The bank accounts of his alleged romance scam victims were also reportedly passed on to co-conspirators for use in separate fraud operations.
FBI: What BEC scheme involved
A Business Email Compromise (Yahoo) scheme typically involves fraudsters impersonating company executives or trusted vendors to trick employees into making unauthorised wire transfers. In this case, the FBI alleges the scheme collectively caused losses exceeding $6,000,000 across more than 70 victim businesses in the United States.
All three suspects were charged with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. Olorunyomi faces the broadest set of charges among the three. The FBI has not indicated that any of the men have been apprehended.
Legit.ng also published that the US FBI placed a Nigerian man on its Most Wanted list, publishing a lengthy list of 13 aliases he allegedly used while evading authorities.
US updates names of West-Africans facing deportation
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the US released an updated deportation list naming 427 people from 16 West African countries, complete with mugshots and criminal records.
Nigeria has the highest number of people on the list with 134, followed by Liberia with 111 and Ghana with 44.
Source: Legit.ng
