US targets Nigerian cyber fraud suspects

US authorities say they have frozen the assets of six Nigerian nationals for cyber fraud amounting to about $6m. The fraudsters targeted American individuals and small businesses in an ‘elaborate scheme’ of romantic fraud or by impersonating business executives. BBC News reports that they allegedly manipulated their victims to access their usernames, passwords and bank details. The majority of the victims were women, the elderly and those who had lost a spouse. The whereabouts of the suspects is unknown, but authorities say all their property and interests in the US have been frozen. In August 2019, the US charged 80 foreign nationals, mostly Nigerians, for the attempted theft of $46m through Internet fraud.