In Nigeria, scammers who specialize in Romance Scams and BEC are called "Yahoo Boys."  In Ghana, the term for the same activity is "Sakawa."  Several Ghanaian headlines are talking about this case with headlines such as "Multimillion dollar Sakawa" or "Sakawa Chairman Busted" or "Sakawa Kingpin Bows to Extradition!" On 08AUG2025 ... Read More

Here we have another cautionary tale about off-shoring customer service when faced with the reality of Call Center Scams that commit fraud via Tech Support Scams and Government Impersonation. In this case, FirstIdea, an Indian company is charged with committing fraud against at least 100 victims from Australia and the ... Read More

Project Red Hook is a Homeland Security Investigations operation examining how Chinese Organized Crime is committing wholesale Gift Card Fraud by using Chinese illegal immigrants to steal gift cards, reveal their PIN, reseal the cards, and return them to store racks.  When the card is later purchased and activated, operators ... Read More

The Eastern District of New York has announced charges against four men for their roles in a Business Email Compromise (BEC) and romance scams. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/four-individuals-charged-connection-business-email-compromise-schemes-and-related-0The US Attorney's Office press release states: Defendants Allegedly Participated in Fraudulent Schemes That Resulted in More Than $50 Million in Losses by Victims in New York City ... Read More

Last week I was reviewing a publication by the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime published in January 2024, titled "Casinos, Money Laundering, Underground Banking, and Transnational Organized Crime in East and Southeast Asia: A Hidden and Accelerating Threat." (URL to the UNODC report: UNODC: Casinos, Money Laundering, Underground ... Read More

 Last week the case of Valentine FOMBE was finally brought to a close. FOMBE was sentenced to 144 months in Federal prison and ordered to pay $325,856 in restitution to victims of Business Email Compromise scams that he conducted from 2016 to 2018.  The various court documents present nearly as ... Read More

 Three indictments have been unsealed in Maryland that document an extensive network of shell companies that were used to wash at least $9.5 Million in funds from at least fifteen #BEC (Business Email Compromise) cases across the country.  In the first indictment, those charged (with an example address from their respective ... Read More

When I'm talking to bankers and other fraud fighters, I often mention how easy it is for a criminal to obtain a Drivers License bearing any information they desire. I was reminded of this again as I saw the sentencing of Desmond Nkwenya from Brookhaven, Georgia this week. The DOJ ... Read More

 If you are just joining us, we are reviewing the court transcripts of a Business Email Compromise / Romance Scam Money Laundering case.  Part One reveals "Classic Baggie: A Delaware BEC Case calls him the leader of an International Criminal Organization" and Part Two was called "Classic Baggie: Part 2 ... Read More

The Crypto Launderers: Crime and Cryptocurrencies from the Dark Web to DeFi and Beyond - by David Carlisle   I wish I had a way to review this book without having first read last year’s “Tracers in the Dark.” While Tracers talked about the people involved in investigating various crypto-based crimes ... Read More