Nigerian National Arrested for Cyber Theft

Fulton County, GA (February 1, 2022) – An eight-month investigation conducted by the GBI Cyber Crime Center (G3C) has resulted in the arrest of Bobby G. Umogbai, age 24, for his role in a $1 million business email compromise (BEC) scheme. Umogbai was arrested and charged with Theft by Deception (Felony) and Theft by Taking (Felony).

In a BEC scheme, victims are tricked by conspirators using compromised email accounts. Victims are convinced to send money to bank accounts controlled by the conspirators believing that they are making legitimate payments. The holders of these accounts (witting and unwitting participants referred to as a “Money Mule”) then forward the funds on to other accounts controlled by the conspirators and ultimately to criminals operating outside of the United States.

Umogbai is accused of a BEC scheme that targeted a Cumming, GA business. During the investigation, GBI agents learned that the victim was contacted via email by a conspirator who purported to be an employee with the business and instructed the victim to initiate a money wire transfer to a staged bank account. The funds ultimately passed through a bank account under Umogbai’s control before moving on to additional co-conspirators.  

Additional victims have been identified and contacted by the GBI.

The investigation was conducted in coordination with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) of the FBI, the Cyber Fraud Task Force of the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation encourages all Georgians to learn how to avoid becoming cyber fraud victims. Specific information on Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud can be found at www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/business-email-compromise

Report cybercrime to your local law enforcement and online at www.ic3.gov .