US authorities uncover international fraud syndicates involving African nationals

Two separate investigations by the United States Department of Justice have exposed international fraud operations involving individuals from Africa.

In one case, Isaac Oduro Boateng, known as Kofi Boat, and Inusah Ahmed, known as Pascal, pleaded guilty in a US federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors allege their involvement in an international syndicate linked to more than $100 million in losses through romance scams and business email fraud schemes.

In a separate investigation titled Operation Ghostbusters, Kenyan nationals have been linked to a multi-million-dollar student financial aid fraud scheme. The operation allegedly involved using stolen American identities to create fictitious students to divert government education funds through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) system.