A man
accused of scamming $60 million from companies around the world through
fraudulent emails has been arrested after months of investigation.
The
ringleader of a global scamming network, identified only as 40-year-old Mike,
was arrested along with a 38-year-old accomplice in Nigeria's oil capital, Port
Harcourt, in June, the statement said. He is on administrative bail, which
implies that officers do not yet have enough evidence to charge him.
The
man is accused of leading a network that compromised email accounts of small
and medium-sized businesses around the world including in the United States,
Australia, India, South Africa and Thailand. The statement didn't name any
targets.
One
company paid out $15.4 million, according to an Interpol statement.
The
network involved about 40 people in Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa who
provided malware and carried out the frauds, with money-laundering contacts in
China, Europe and the United States providing bank account details.
A
supplier's email would be compromised and fake messages sent to a buyer with
instructions for payment to a bank account under the network's control, the
statement said. Or an executive's email account would be taken over and a
request for a wire transfer sent to an employee.
Lawyer
Gary Miller of the International Fraud Group said the amount was
"minuscule, a drop in the ocean" in a cybercrime industry estimated
to be worth $1 trillion to $2 trillion.
He
said it is "quite unusual" to track down a cyber-criminal because
"they're usually protected by a few tens, if not hundreds, of zombie
servers which hide their identity." His group traces looted funds for
individuals and companies.
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