Phishing Attacker in Georgia Faces up to 50 Years in Prison

A phishing attacker in Georgia was convicted of multiple banking hacks and faces up to 50 years in prison and a $1 million fine, according to a FBI press release.

32-year old Osarhieme Uyi Obaygbona was accused of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, identity theft, and gaining unauthorized access to protected computers. Because of his attacks, Chase Bank, Bank of America, ADP, and Brank Bank & Trust Co. allegedly lost $1.5 million.

“Obaygbona, Marvin Hill, and Alphonsus Osuala were provided with stolen identifiers by Waya Nwaki, who received them from Karlis Karklins, a Latvian national who worked with defendant Charles Umeh Chidi and others to deploy phishing websites across the Internet,” said the FBI representatives.

The men involved in the phishing ring used the stolen IDs to make unauthorized withdrawals from victims` accounts. Some of the identifiers were used to create bogus driver`s licenses, which helped cyber-crooks impersonate victims at the bank.

“The scheme also used the stolen identifiers to gain access to the victims` online accounts, where Obaygbona, Nwaki, and Hill could view victim signatures on check images and then forge checks and withdrawal slips in furtherance of fraudulent withdrawals,” court documents read.

As part of the scheme, more than $300,000 in fraudulent payroll was wired to a Nigerian who impersonated a European woman interested in romantic relationships to dupe “mules” into wiring money overseas.

The jury returned the guilty verdict for the Georgia man after a one-week trial, and final sentencing is scheduled for October.