Four Ghanaian nationals are facing serious charges in the United States for allegedly defrauding American citizens and businesses out of over $100 million. The individuals, identified as Isaac Oduro Boateng (alias "Kofi Boat"), Inusah Ahmed ("Pascal"), Derrick Van Yeboah ("Van"), and Patrick Kwame Asare ("Borgar"), are accused of running a sophisticated criminal enterprise that spanned almost a decade.
Sakawa: Romance Scams and Business Email Compromises
The indictment reveals that the group operated under the guise of "sakawa," a Ghanaian term for internet fraud. Their scheme involved romance scams, where they created fake online personas to lure vulnerable individuals, particularly elderly people, into believing they were in genuine romantic relationships.
Once the victims trusted them, they were manipulated into transferring money to accounts controlled by the gang. The victims were led to believe the accounts belonged to their supposed romantic partners. Shockingly, the conspirators referred to these victims as "clients" and the stolen funds as "clean money," knowing the victims were unlikely to report the fraud immediately.
Expanding the Scheme: Business Email Compromises
The group also expanded their operations to include business email compromises. This involved impersonating company employees or associates to divert funds into their own accounts. By creating email addresses that closely resembled legitimate ones, they tricked businesses into wiring large sums of money to accounts under their control.
This method, referred to as "ali baba" by the gang, involved forging authorization letters and fake signatures to appear legitimate. The case highlights the growing threat of international cybercrime and the need for increased vigilance to protect against these types of scams. The extradition process is now underway to bring these individuals to justice in the United States.