A Ghanaian national, Derrick Van Yeboah, pleaded guilty to his role in a large-scale fraud operation that defrauded victims of over $100 million through business email compromise attacks and romance scams. The operation, based in Ghana, targeted Americans between 2016 and May 2023. Van Yeboah was a high-ranking member and personally conducted many romance scams, linked to over $10 million in losses. He agreed to pay over $10 million in restitution and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Reconnaissance
Target Identification and Profiling
likely
The fraud ring identified vulnerable individuals, particularly older adults living alone, and businesses susceptible to Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks. They likely gathered information through online means to understand potential victims' vulnerabilities and financial situations.
