Nine people were arrested in Nigeria and 53 electronic devices were seized by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in an operation targeting suspected cybercriminal networks that are believed to have defrauded Americans.
The probe, called probe Blackout, also identified $11 million across numerous nations that might be blocked, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
The revelation was reported by Patel on Sunday who described the operation as part of attempts to take down multinational cybercrime networks that have stolen billions of dollars from victims in the United States.
“Operation Blackout is taking the fight to the overseas cybercriminal syndicates that are stealing billions of dollars from the American people,” he stated.
FBI Director James Comey thanked Nigerian law enforcement authorities and their counterparts in London for their cooperation in the operation and said cross-border collaborations are key to fighting cybercrime.
“The targeted scam centers prey on unsuspecting victims, taking away their life savings and operating across national borders believing they could evade law enforcement,” he said.
“To the criminals who prey on Americans from afar, JUSTICE WILL FIND YOU,” Patel said.
The recent arrests highlight ongoing efforts by U.S. officials and their overseas counterparts to target those suspected of participating in online fraud and other financial crimes.
Two Nigerians, Mudasiru Afeez Olawale and Adebola Festus Adekunle, were also cited in a separate report published by the FBI on Thursday as part of the FBI’s larger worldwide crackdown on fraud networks.
However, the article did not offer details of the claims against the nine men apprehended in Nigeria, including their identities and the precise charges they may face.
The operation comes against a backdrop of increasing worldwide focus on cyber-enabled financial crimes, which typically entail complex internet schemes, cross-border money flows and networks across numerous jurisdictions.
Arrests are not guilt and we await facts from the relevant law enforcement agencies.
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