FBI: Nigerian scammers tried to steal $5m from U.S. businesses including multiple universities

Alleged scammers ran "multimillion-dollar cyber-enabled business email compromise fraud schemes."
Virginia Commonwealth University, one of the targeted schools
By Just the News staff

Three Nigerian nationals were extradited to the United States this week on charges related to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme targeting multiple businesses including U.S. universities. 

The individuals "targeted unsuspecting victims including universities in North Carolina, Texas and Virginia, and attempted to cause more than $5 million in losses," the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release on Wednesday.

The defendants were charged in part with "wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and aggravated identity theft for defrauding a North Carolina university of more than $1.9 million via a business email compromise scheme," the department said; similar attempts were made in Texas and Virginia. 

The defendants were originally arrested in April of 2020; their appeals to the UK High Court to avoid extradition were rejected last month.