Nigerians accused in $40 million online scam

Federal prosecutors on Thursday indicted 80 people for allegedly participating in online scams that raked in millions from unsuspecting victims in the United States and abroad.

The suspected fraudsters, many of whom are Nigerian nationals, prosecutors say, allegedly used online romance scams, schemes targeting elderly people and business email compromise scams, in which legitimate companies are compromised to facilitate the illegal transfer of funds. The FBI began investigating the operation in 2016, and this week, authorities arrested

14 people across the United States — 11 in the Los Angeles area alone. Two people were already in custody, and many are believed to be abroad, primarily in Nigeria, prosecutors said in their announcement.

The operation revealed by prosecutors Thursday had obtained $6 million through fraudulent means and attempted to steal at least $40 million more.

Of the dozens of alleged scammers indicted this week, prosecutors singled out two people as the suspected ringleaders of the operation: Valentine Iro, 31, and Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe, 38, both Nigerian citizens who resided in Los Angeles County. They allegedly coordinated a network of co-conspirators who operated fraudulent bank accounts and laundered the money obtained from victims worldwide, keeping a cut for themselves.

“We believe this is one of the largest cases of its kind in U.S. history,” United States Attorney Nick Hanna said at a Thursday news conference, ABC reported.