Crypto Scam: Kansas Foils Nigerian’s Fraud Attempt In U.S.A
The Attorney General’s Office, Kansas state, United States of America (U.S.A), has blocked an attempt made by a Nigerian fraudster to dupe a resident of the state on a Cryptocurrency scam.
This was disclosed by the crypto news platform, BitKE, on Monday.
In a statement titled, “State of Kansas, U.S., Thwarts Attempt by Nigerian Crypto Scammer to Defraud Resident, Attracting Over $50,000 in Civil Penalties,” the Attorney General’s Office revealed the scammer as Bimbo Toyin Akinyemi, a Nigerian national.
The U.S Department of Justice (DoJ) and the FBI are part of those who carried out the investigations.
Akinyemi is said to have promised the unnamed victim a huge return on his investment on a cryptocurrency deal proposed.
According to court documents, Akinyemi entered into a contract with the victim on July 15th, 2023.
The lawsuit against Akinyemi was filed by The Charities and Financial Scams Unit of the Attorney General’s Office under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.
According to it, the victim was asked to purchase Bitcoin and deposit the money into Akinyemi’s ‘investment wallet address,’ with an expected return on investment (RoI) of between $500-$1,240.
Since the victim did not have a deep knowledge of how cryptocurrencies market works, Akiyemi misled him by concealing trace of fund transfers and falsely claiming that funds deposited into a digital wallet would automatically transform it into an investment account.
The victim was subsequently sent a fake $1,000 cheque which was never cashed.
The Kansas Attorney General’s Office holds that the victim is entitled to a refund of the $250 invested.
The culprit is responsible for $50,000 in civil penalties for five violations, $4,000 in investigation fees and expenses, as well as all court fees.
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Akinyemi’s wallet, which reportedly contained half of a Bitcoin valued at over $28,900, as well as other digital currency worth more than $4,000 have been seized by the authorities.
A default judgment has been issued against Akinyemi by a local Judge as he did not respond to court summons and petitions sent to his email address.
Furthermore, Akinyemi has been barred from engaging in consumer transactions within Kansas.
“Cryptocurrency is a borderless asset that allows international scammers to target and defraud Kansans from the comfort of a keyboard,” said First Assistant Attorney General Nathanial Castillo.
“Scammers realise they have a better chance of getting away with fraud if they convince victims to send cryptocurrency. Kansans should always thoroughly scrutinise anyone they meet online before sending payment in cryptocurrency.” the Judgment read.
