Feds Ask Victims Of Nigerian Internet Scam To Step Forward

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Did the “love of your life” scam thousand of dollars from you? Did someone promise that you could make the big bucks working from home? If you answered yes to one of these schemes, federal regulators may be looking for you following the conviction of three Nigerian nationals who allegedly scammed thousands of consumers with internet-based financial fraud schemes.

The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it is looking for any potential victims of the nearly 16-year-long fraud ring that was broken up in 2015.

Three Nigerian nationals — Oladimeji Seun Ayelotan, Rasaq Aderoju Raheem, and Femi Alexander Mewase — were convicted by a federal jury Tuesday for the wide-ranging scheme.

According to the DOJ, beginning in 2001 the defendants — which includes 21 others who have been charged in the case — began building a complex system of internet-based financial fraud schemes, that include romance scams, re-shipping scams, fraudulent check scams, and work-at-home scams.

The fraudsters would first identify potential victims through online dating sites and work-at-home opportunities. In some cases, they would carry out fictitious online romantic relationships to further the scheme.

In some cases, victims were convinced to ship and receive merchandise purchased with stolen credit or banking information, to deposit counterfeit checks, withdraw money from fraudulent prepaid cards, and to transfer proceeds via wire, mail, or express delivery.

The DOJ is now looking for anyone who believes they may have been a victim of the frauds, asking potential targets to fill out a questionnaire.

The defendants used a string of different email addresses throughout the scheme. A full list can be found here.

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