CHICAGO — Seven Chicago-area residents are among nine
individuals arrested in the United States and Nigeria as part of an
international investigation into online “romance scams” and “mystery shopper”
schemes.
During the Chicago-based investigation, dubbed “Operation
Gold Phish,” law enforcement identified a variety of cyber-enabled fraud
schemes allegedly carried out by conspirators in the U.S. and Nigeria. One of the alleged schemes involved “romance
scams,” in which a conspirator builds trust with a victim through a purported
online romance before convincing the victim to send money to a predetermined
recipient. The conspirators initially
contacted victims online via applications and websites, including Match.com,
Facebook, and Instagram, the complaint states.
Another alleged cyber-enabled fraud involved a “mystery shopper” scheme,
in which conspirators fraudulently offered victims opportunities to work as a
mystery shopper and receive commissions for evaluating retailers. The victim received a check through the U.S.
mail with instructions to deposit it in a personal bank account, withdraw the
money in cash, and wire it to a third party.
The check turned out to be fake, and the victims were defrauded of the
wired money, the charges allege.
A criminal complaint filed Dec. 4, 2018, in U.S. District
Court in Chicago charged nine defendants with conspiracy to commit wire
fraud. Arrests were recently carried out
in Illinois, Texas, and Nigeria, and all of the defendants are now in law
enforcement custody. The Nigerian
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is conducting a related investigation
of other individuals in Nigeria.
The U.S. charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr.,
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey S.
Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation; and Craig Goldberg, Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service in Chicago. Valuable
assistance was provided by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorneys
Peter S. Salib and Charles W. Mulaney represent the government.
Arrested on the U.S. charges in Illinois were DANIEL SAMUEL
ETA, also known as “Captain” and “Etaoko,” 35, of Skokie; BABATUNDE LADEHINDE
LABIYI, also known as “Junior,” 20, of Chicago; BARNABAS OGHENERUKEVWE EDJIEH,
29, of Chicago; SULTAN OMOGBADEBO ANIFOWOSHE, also known as “Ayinde,” 26, of
Chicago; BABATUNDE IBRAHEEM AKARIGIDI, also known as “AK,” 39, of Chicago;
MIRACLE AYOKUNLE OKUNOLA, 21, of Chicago; and OLUROTIMI AKITUNDE IDOWU, also
known as “Idol,” 55, of Chicago.
Arrested in Texas was ADEWALE ANTHONY ADEWUMI, 27, of Richardson, Texas. Arrested in Nigeria was OLANIYI ADELEYE
OGUNGBAIYE, also known as “DonChiChi,” 26, of Lagos, Nigeria.
In addition to the romance and mystery shopper schemes, the
complaint accuses the conspirators of engaging in various other cyber-enabled
scams, including investment and employment frauds. The conspirators also defrauded victims by
targeting corporate email accounts, the complaint states. In the email scam, known as a business email
compromise, the conspirators fraudulently obtained usernames and passwords or
sent “spoofing” email messages that claimed to be from a company employee,
instructing the victim to change the wire instructions for bank payments. Per the instructions given in the fraudulent
emails, the victims unknowingly wired funds to bank accounts controlled by the
conspirators that had been opened in fictitious names utilizing fake passports,
the complaint states.
The charge in the complaint carries a maximum sentence of 20
years in prison. If convicted, the Court
must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the
advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that charges contain only accusations
and are not evidence of guilt. The
defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the
government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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