Scammer takes $27 million from Citibank

419 scammer impersonates the nation of Ethiopia, takes $27 million from Citibank

A Nigerian scammer is accused of posing as the central bank of Ethiopia and bilking Citibank out of $27,000,000:

To carry out the elaborate scheme, prosecutors in New York said on Friday, the man, identified as Paul Gabriel Amos, 37, a Nigerian citizen who lived in Singapore, worked with others to create official-looking documents that instructed Citibank to wire the money in two dozen transactions to accounts that Mr. Amos and the others controlled around the world.

The money came from a Citibank account in New York held by the National Bank of Ethiopia, that country’s central bank. Prosecutors said the conspirators, contacted by Citibank to verify the transactions, posed as Ethiopian bank officials and approved the transfers.

Nigerian Accused in Scheme to Swindle Citibank