Two Nigerians who served in US Air Force jailed over cyber fraud scheme

Pinned summary · as of 07:20

A US federal court has jailed two Nigerians who had served in the United States Air Force for their part in an international online fraud network. Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu received 111 months and Harafat Mogaji 78 months, according to Rainbow Radio Online, a combined 189 months that MyJoyOnline also reported.

What we know

• Odimegwu and Mogaji, both Nigerians who were serving in the US Air Force at the time, were sentenced to federal prison terms for roles in a cyber fraud operation that reached beyond the United States.
• Rainbow Radio Online put Odimegwu's term at 111 months and Mogaji's at 78 months, and MyJoyOnline gave a joint total of 189 months for the pair.
• The network sent phishing emails and used deceptive messages to steer business payments into bank accounts that its members controlled, and companies across the US were among its targets.
• A victim in Iowa lost about $1.68 million to the scheme and another in Ohio lost more than $720,000.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  The Press Radio identified the two men as Oluwaseun Adebayo and Abdulahi Abubakar, which does not match the names given by Rainbow Radio Online and MyJoyOnline.
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  Reports differ on the total loss. The Press Radio said the scheme cost victims about US$1.68 million, whereas MyJoyOnline, citing a US official, said businesses were defrauded of more than $2.4m.
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  Rainbow Radio Online said Odimegwu must repay about $366,600 and Mogaji roughly $995,700 in restitution; no other independent report has confirmed those amounts.
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  MyJoyOnline, citing a US Attorney's office spokesman, said the two men live in Delaware, were sentenced on 25 September and ran the campaigns for almost two years; this has not been confirmed elsewhere.
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  Rainbow Radio Online reported that the FBI led the investigation with help from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations; no second independent report has confirmed this.

Why it matters for Ghana

Nigerian nationals are at the centre of this case, and Ghanaian readers will recognise the pattern: payment-redirection and phishing schemes target firms in many countries, including Ghana. Businesses and individuals in Accra, Kumasi and elsewhere who pay invoices by transfer are exposed to the same tricks. The conflicting names in the reports are also a reminder to check details before sharing them.