FBI and International Partners Stop Wire Transfer Schemes

According to a recent press release from the FBI, the Bureau recently conducted a coordinated effort to disrupt business email compromise (BEC) schemes that intercept and steal wire transfers sent by businesses and individuals. The U.S. Department of Justice and international law enforcement partners carried out Operation Eagle Sweep over a three-month period and arrested 65 suspects in the United States and overseas, including 12 in Nigeria, eight in South Africa, two in Canada, and one in Cambodia. In parallel with Operation Eagle Sweep, Australia, Japan, and Nigeria conducted local operations targeting BEC actors.

BEC is a sophisticated scam that often targets employees of businesses that make payments through wire transfers. Skilled scammers usually gain access to a company’s email accounts or spoof their email addresses to send legitimate sounding and well-timed requests for wire transfers. The bank accounts provided for the receipt of transfers, however, are controlled by the criminals. The same criminal organizations that carry out BEC also exploit individuals, often real estate purchasers and the elderly.

Starting in September 2021, Operation Eagle Sweep targeted BEC scammers believed responsible for targeting over 500 U.S. victims and for causing losses exceeding $51 million.