US security agents arrest 281 fraudsters in Nigeria, Turkey, Ghana, France, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, UK, recovers nearly $3.7 million

Federal authorities in United State have announced a significant coordinated effort to disrupt Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes that are designed to intercept and hijack wire transfers from businesses and individuals, including many senior citizens.

Law enforcement agencies from ten countries have arrested 281 suspects over the last four months as part of a massive crackdown on BEC (business email compromise) scammers.

The operation, tracked internally as Operation reWired, resulted in the seizure of nearly $3.7 million from the 281 suspects, and the recovery of approximately $118 million in fraudulent wire transfers.

The vast majority of the arrests took place in Nigeria, where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) made 167 arrests. 105 of the 167 arrests took place in the Port Harcourt region, in southern Nigeria, ZDNet has learned.

But, while Nigeria has been known for harboring a large portion of the world's online scammers, arrests have also taken place in nine other countries.

The Department of Justice reported today 74 arrests in the US, while 18 other suspects were apprehended in Turkey, and 15 other in Ghana. Other arrests also took place in France, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, and the UK, the FBI reported.