One sentence summary – Nigerian national Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges related to a business email compromise scheme, highlighting the severity and growing prevalence of such cybercrimes, with losses in the billions and an increasing number of attacks, emphasizing the need for robust security measures to protect against evolving fraudster tactics.
At a glance
- Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo pleads guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges
- Charges are linked to a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) scheme
- Simon-Ebo and co-conspirators compromised business and employee email accounts
- The operation resulted in significant financial losses for victims
- BEC attacks pose a serious threat globally, with losses in the billions and increasing number of attacks
The details
Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, a Nigerian national, has entered a guilty plea to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
These charges are linked to a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) scheme.
Simon-Ebo, along with co-conspirators based in the United States, was involved in a wide-ranging operation.
This operation compromised business and employee email accounts.
The operation led to significant financial losses for victims.
The case highlights the increasing threat posed by BEC attacks worldwide.
Simon-Ebo conspired with individuals in the United States while residing in South Africa to carry out the BEC scheme.
The scam involved spoofed sender addresses.
These spoofed addresses made the emails appear to come from trusted partners.
The fraudulent emails contained payment requests and wiring instructions.
These emails deceived victims into transferring money to bank accounts controlled by Simon-Ebo and his associates.
To obscure the trace of the funds, the scammers swiftly moved the money to other accounts.
The money was ultimately withdrawn in cash.
In addition to wire transfers, the fraudsters used cashier’s checks.
The use of cashier’s checks further complicated the source of the funds.
The success ratio of the scam was approximately 1 in 7.
The attempted theft amounted to nearly seven million dollars.
The scammers successfully obtained one million dollars.
Simon-Ebo now faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
He will also be required to pay restitution of $1,072,306.
Business email compromise is a significant global problem.
It poses a serious threat to companies and organizations.
In the United States alone, BEC schemes in 2021 resulted in losses of nearly $2.4 billion.
This figure is based on approximately 20,000 complaints received by the FBI.
The number of BEC attacks has nearly doubled in 2023.
These attacks start with compromised email addresses.
Fraudsters have diversified their tactics.
They are now targeting valuable hardware, construction, and solar energy products, among other sectors.
A BEC attack can be executed swiftly.
The entire process—from compromising email credentials to hijacking existing email threads—takes only a couple of hours.
The guilty plea of Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo in a wire fraud and money laundering case related to a business email compromise scheme is significant.
It highlights the severity and growing prevalence of such cybercrimes.
With losses in the billions and an increasing number of attacks, businesses and individuals must remain vigilant.
They must adopt robust security measures to protect themselves from the ever-evolving tactics employed by these fraudsters.
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| bleepingcomputer.com |
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| – Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, a Nigerian national, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering through business email compromise (BEC). – Simon-Ebo conspired with others in the U.S. to compromise business and employee email accounts while residing in South Africa. – |
| The scammers used spoofed sender addresses to make it appear that the emails came from trustworthy partners. – |
| The emails contained payment requests and wiring instructions, leading victims to send money to bank accounts controlled by Simon-Ebo and his co-conspirators. – |
| The scammers would then move the money to other accounts to obscure the trace before eventually withdrawing cash. – Cashier’s checks were also used to write checks to individuals and business entities, further obscuring the source of the funds. – |
| The scammers had a success ratio of roughly 1 to 7, attempting to steal almost seven million dollars and successfully obtaining one million dollars. – Simon-Ebo faces a maximum imprisonment sentence of 20 years and will have to pay restitution of $1,072,306. – Business email compromise is a significant problem worldwide, threatening companies and organizations. |
| – In 2021, BEC schemes in the U.S. resulted in losses of almost $2.4 billion based on 20,000 complaints received by the FBI. – BEC attacks have almost doubled in 2023, starting with emails from compromised addresses. |
| – BEC fraudsters have diversified their tactics, targeting valuable hardware, construction, and solar energy products. – |
| The entire process of a BEC attack, from compromising email credentials to hijacking existing email threats, can take only a couple of hours. |
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