Nigerian man jailed in the U.S. for opening 25 bank accounts to defraud elderly victims of $3.4m
A 39-year-old Nigerian, Olaniyi Nasiru Ojikutu, has been sentenced to over 7 years in prison in the U.S for his role in an international romance scam.
He was one of 10 people indicted as a result of Operation Gold Phish – a Chicago-based probe that identified an assortment of scams targeting elderly victims, CBSNews reports.
Prosecutors said Ojikutu, a permanent legal resident of the U.S, helped lead a multi-year fraud scheme carried out by scammers in the U.S. and Nigeria.
The schemers targeted elderly victims through fake online romances and persuaded the victims to send money after building trust.
Over a period of about 3 years, Ojikutu opened about 25 bank accounts in his own name, a fake name & a shell company through which he transferred about $3.4 million in fraudulently-obtained money, prosecutors said.
