A United States newspaper, The New York Times, has alleged a Nigerian fraud ring responsible for the infiltration of US unemployment system to steal millions of dollars meant for out-of- work Americans to cushion the economic effect caused by COVID-19.
The report revealed that the suspects through “vast and complicated network has stolen detailed identity information from citizens, such as social security numbers, to file false claims on behalf of workers who may not even have lost their jobs.”
According to Investigators from the US Secret Service, they have “information that suggests a well-organized Nigerian fraud ring is behind the scheme, which authorities believe could result in ‘potential losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars’.”
The agency believes Washington State is the primary target of the criminal enterprise, however there’s also evidence of attacks in Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Wyoming.
Roy Dotson, a special agent at the Secret Service, told reporters that investigators were still trying to confirm the identity of the scammers and their collaborators and zero-in on where exactly they are operating.
‘We are actively running down every lead we are getting,’ Dotson said.
Investigators believe the operation is being aided by a substantial number of ‘mules’ – people in the US who are used as intermediaries for money laundering after making contact with the fraudsters online.
