The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has offered a $1,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of a Nigerian, Kelechi James, who is wanted for alleged email scam.
The American agency made this disclosure in a statement by its New York Cyber Crime Task Force office on Sunday.
According to the statement, James, alongside four other co-conspirators, ran a business e-mail compromise scheme after developing a relationship of trust with victims. This led to a victim losing more than $5 million.
“James is known to frequent the Brooklyn neighborhoods of East New York (Crescent Street and Loring Avenue; Vermont Street between Blake Avenue and Dumont Avenue), Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant (MacDougal and Hull Streets), Crown Heights (Park Place and Utica Avenue), Flatbush (E 29th and Avenue D), and East Flatbush (East 51st and Winthrop Street).
“James is 32 years old, 6’0″ tall, and approximately 175 pounds. He is a Nigerian national, has brown eyes and black hair, and may have a beard. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of James is urged to contact law enforcement immediately. The FBI can be reached 24 hours a day at (212) 384-1000. He is not considered to be violent in nature.
The statement said James and his co-conspirators defrauded victims across the U.S. by tricking them into wiring money to bank accounts the victims believed were owned by family members, friends, or business associates.
FBI said James’ role in this scheme was to withdraw the money from bank accounts as soon as the money was wired.
