A Nigerian couple has been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a “catfishing” scheme using the U.S. Postal Service.
Julie Okoronkwo and her husband, Edwin Okoronkwo, were convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the Department of Justice. Julie was sentenced to 25 months in federal prison, two years of probation, and deportation. Edwin received a 75-month sentence, three years of probation, and deportation after serving his full sentence. The couple will be responsible for repaying $337,535 and $342,535, respectively.
The couple, permanent resident aliens living in Omaha, Nebraska, used multiple social media profiles to target victims online. They posed as high-ranking military officers and sometimes as military members on secret missions.
The couple received funds through FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service, and online wire transfer methods such as Zelle and PayPal.
“The Okoronkwos used victims’ personal identifying information (PII) obtained from identity theft victims to open bank accounts and other online financial services accounts, including peer-to-peer digital payments platforms (e.g., PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App),” the DOJ detailed the operation in a press release.
It is unclear what the Okoronkwos said to gain the trust of their victims; unfortunately, it worked. The people swindled by the Nigerian couple are not alone, as different versions of the “Nigerian scam” have yielded similar results since the early 2000s.
In July 2023, CBS News reported on the “sextortion” scam. Like the Nebraska couple, these scammers used online social media profiles to contact potential victims. The scammer would then ask for salacious images of their target and threaten to release the images if monetary demands were not met.
A large portion of these fake accounts were found on Meta’s Facebook — all Nigerian accounts, according to CBS reporting.
To date, Meta has removed more than 63,000 accounts linked to the sextortion schemes.
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