Nigerian and four others arrested by U.S. in €300 million German fraud case
A joint law-enforcement operation has resulted in the arrest of one Nigerian national and four others in the United States in relation to a major fraud scheme wanted by German authorities. According to officials in Germany, the network is accused of defrauding more than €300 million globally between 2016 and 2021 by using stolen credit-card data of some 4.3 million individuals across 193 countries. The scheme allegedly used fake websites offering streaming, dating and entertainment services to trick victims into recurring subscription payments and exploited four major German payment-service providers to launder the proceeds.
German prosecutors say searches were carried out not only in Germany but also in Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the U.S., and Cyprus as part of the investigation. Among the suspects identified are members of the fraud network, employees of compromised payment firms and providers of criminal-services to the scheme. The total number of individuals under investigation has grown to 44.
While specific names have not yet been publicly detailed in the German announcement, it has been confirmed that a Nigerian national is among the suspects now in U.S. custody and that the U.S. component of the investigation is collaborating with German and international authorities on extradition and prosecution. The arrest underscores the cross-border nature of modern cyber-fraud operations and the growing cooperation between U.S. and European law-enforcement agencies.
German prosecutors welcomed the arrests as a major step in dismantling what they described as “one of the largest online fraud and money-laundering networks ever uncovered in Europe”. The investigation remains open and further arrests and asset seizures are expected. The U.S. authorities have indicated they will seek to charge the suspects with wire fraud, money-laundering and conspiracy offences.
