FBI Names 3 Wanted “Yahoo Boys” Accused of Using Nicknames To Defraud Americans

• The FBI published wanted listings for Felix Osilama Okpoh, Nnamdi Orson Benson, and Michael Olorunyomi over an alleged BEC fraud scheme
• The three Nigerian nationals are believed to be residing in Nigeria and were each indicted in 2019 on conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges
• Olorunyomi faces the broadest charges of the three, including identity theft and access device fraud, and allegedly targeted elderly victims and widows

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has published wanted listings for three Nigerian men it alleges were central figures in a Business Email Compromise scheme that caused losses exceeding $6,000,000 across more than 70 American businesses.

The suspects, Felix Osilama Okpoh, Nnamdi Orson Benson, and Micheal Olorunyomi, are all Nigerian nationals born between 1983 and 1989.

The FBI believes all three currently reside in Nigeria, and none are reported to have been apprehended.

The alleged roles of each suspect

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Okpoh, who used the aliases Felix Okpoh, Felix Osilama, and "Junior," was indicted on 21 August 2019 in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska in Omaha, with a federal arrest warrant issued the following day.

Prosecutors allege he supplied hundreds of bank accounts to co-conspirators, including Benson, which were used to receive fraudulent wire transfers totalling over $1,000,000 from victim businesses.

Benson, known by the aliases Nnamdi Benson and "Namo," was indicted on the same date as Okpoh. Beyond his alleged role in the bank account supply chain, he is accused of independently running romance fraud and advanced fee fraud schemes.

Olorunyomi was indicted separately on 13 November 2019, with his warrant issued the next day. He operated under the names Ayomide Michael, Michael Olorunyomi, "Ayo," and "A.Y."

He faces a wider set of charges than his co-suspects, including identity theft and access device fraud, in addition to the shared conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge.

The FBI alleges he deliberately targeted vulnerable elderly individuals and widows through romance fraud, personally defrauding victims of more than $1,000,000.

Bank accounts belonging to his alleged romance scam victims were also reportedly passed on to co-conspirators for use in separate fraud operations.

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How the BEC scheme allegedly worked

A Business Email Compromise scheme typically involves fraudsters impersonating company executives or trusted suppliers to deceive employees into authorising illegitimate wire transfers.

The FBI alleges that the scheme operated by this network collectively drained more than $6,000,000 from over 70 businesses across the United States.

All three men face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Federal arrest warrants remain active for each suspect.

FBI confirms politician's arrest on fraud charges

In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that the FBI has confirmed the arrest of Massachusetts State Representative Francisco Paulino.

This comes after prosecutors charged him with fraudulently obtaining more than $700,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds and subsequently laundering the proceeds.

Source: YEN.com.gh