Nigerian convicted fraudster
Born: November 9, 1984
Nationality: Nigerian
Alias/Aka: Kalu Obi, Invictus Nnamdi
Onwuchekwa Nnanna Kalu, a Nigerian national, was once a notorious figure in the world of internet scams. For years, he eluded the grasp of law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), until his eventual arrest in 2021. Kalu’s reign of cyber fraud, which involved a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme and malware, defrauded businesses in the United
States and other countries of over 1 million US dollars. The FBI had been monitoring Kalu’s activities for months, tracking his movements and gathering evidence to build a solid case against him. In 2021, their efforts paid off when Kalu was finally caught and extradited to the United States to face trial.
The BEC scheme, which Kalu and his gang members orchestrated, involved posing as CEOs, presidents, or other executives of targeted companies. They used spoofed email accounts to direct business employees to complete wire transfers, convincing them that the requests were legitimate. The employees, unaware of the scam, complied with the wire transfer requests, unwittingly sending money to accounts
controlled by Kalu and his co-conspirators. During the trial, it was revealed that Kalu installed the malware that compromised the company emails and provided bank account information to the co-conspirators
who sent the fraudulent emails, directing business employees to wire money to accounts controlled by him and others. These bank accounts largely belonged to victims of internet business email compromise scams, who were instructed by coconspirators to transfer the funds to bank accounts. The investigation leading to Kalu’s arrest also led to the discovery of other coconspirators involved in the scheme, some of whom had already been convicted and sentenced.
After a short trial, Kalu was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment by a United States court. This sentence serves as a stark reminder that cybercrime does not pay and that those who engage in such activities will be held accountable for their actions.
The FBI, in collaboration with international law enforcement partners, remains committed to disrupting these cybercriminal groups and their victimization of U.S. persons and businesses. This case should send a clear message to other cybercriminals: the FBI will remain vigilant in their pursuit, both domestically and abroad.
