Nigerian wanted by FBI for $5 million email scam

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States has offered a $1000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest of a Nigerian national suspected of defrauding victims of over $5 million through an email scam.

32-year-old Kelechi Declan James, suspected to be in New York City, is alleged to have run a business e-mail compromise scheme that resulted in victims losing more than $5 million.

“As part of scheme, 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,” the FBI said in a statement last week.

They explained that the scheme was run in two ways: “by overtaking an e-mail account of an individual trusted by the victim and then requesting money be wired to a bank account; or by developing a relationship of trust with victim like an Internet romance and then asking the victim to wire money.”

The money is moved from one account to another and then withdrawn from bank accounts by James, the statement added.

Kelechi Declan James has federal criminal charges against him.