In a striking example of international fraud, two Nigerians are implicated in a scheme that reportedly defrauded American healthcare providers of millions of Dollars.
This scheme has raised serious concerns about cybersecurity measures in place to protect sensitive financial transactions.
As a result, the FBI has requested the assistance of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). It wants the EFCC to help locate and arrest two Nigerians, Babatunde Shodiya and Yinka Jamiu.
FBI Indictment Details
According to People Gazette, they are wanted for allegedly defrauding American healthcare providers of $13 million using a fake website.
Shodiya, 43, and Jamiu, 31, were indicted in the United States for their alleged roles in a fraudulent email scheme targeting healthcare companies in Minnesota.
A grand jury in the U.S.A District Court for Minnesota indicted them on September 25, 2024. The court says they were involved in defrauding several healthcare providers from October 2020 to 2024.
U.S. Attorney, Andrew Luger, stated that Shodiya and Jamiu deceived employees of Minnesota healthcare firms into redirecting payments to fraudulent accounts.
Luger said: “As part of the scheme, Babatunde and Ahmed created a fake ‘spoofed’ internet domain designed to appear as though it was controlled by Fairview Health”.
The Attorney added: “Unbeknownst to the vendor companies, the new accounts were actually controlled by Babatunde and Ahmed and their co-conspirators, not Fairview Health.
People Also Read: Yahaya Bello: List Of Ex-Governors Who Have Been Prosecuted For Corruption By EFCC
“In total, Babatunde and Ahmed fraudulently directed more than $13m in payments intended for Fairview Health from Minnesota-based healthcare companies to accounts controlled by Babatunde, Ahmed, and their co-conspirators”.
FBI Seek Help From EFCC
Reports indicate that the suspects are Nigerian citizens currently residing in Nigeria.
However, the American officials have expressed their concerns to the EFCC about the matter.
Shodiya and Jamiu allegedly exploited Optum Pay, a popular payment system among healthcare providers in Minnesota.
Creation Of Fake Website And Tactics
They set up a counterfeit website, fairviewhospitals.org, and impersonated key officials from the hospital network. Furthermore, they impersonated the CEO and executive vice president, by creating fake email accounts.
Using these fraudulent email addresses, they sent phishing emails to Fairview Health employees. This is aimed at tricking them into revealing their login credentials.
Due to his role in impersonating Fairview’s executives, Shodiya faces an additional charge of aggravated identity theft, along with the wire fraud charges.
