SEC Charges Nigerian Trio for Impersonating Financial Professionals in $2.9 Million Fraud Scheme

Posted on January 15th, 2025 at 2:29 PM
SEC Charges Nigerian Trio for Impersonating Financial Professionals in $2.9 Million Fraud Scheme

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged three individuals from Nigeria with orchestrating an elaborate online fraud scheme, stealing the identities of licensed financial advisors and investment advisers to defraud retail investors of over $2.9 million.

According to the SEC’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the defendants impersonated at least 22 financial professionals and deceived at least 28 investors, the majority of whom reside in the United States. According to InvestmentNews, the scheme began in 2019, involving fake websites that mimicked legitimate U.S. securities firms and included falsified testimonials on social media and investment forums. These fraudulent sites portrayed the impersonated professionals as successful traders and promised victims monthly returns as high as 25 percent.

To further the scheme, InvestmentNews reports that the defendants directed victims to fake investment platforms that simulated growing portfolio values. They also instructed investors to purchase and send cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, while claiming to use a copy-trading platform that mirrored the trades of professional advisors. To gain additional trust, they reportedly used voice-masking software to impersonate individuals matching the gender of real financial professionals.

The SEC has charged the defendants with violations of the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The charges seek permanent and conduct-based injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.

InvestmentNews reports that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey has also filed criminal charges against the defendants.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, sec

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

Hiring Eccleston Law has been one of the best career decisions I have made and this "investment" to maintain my sterling regulatory record has been returned many times over.  If you are in a situation where you've been unfairly accused, don't hesitate to talk with Eccleston Law. They are the best.

Thomas C.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

February 19, 2026
Wall Street Journal Analysis Questions Investor Gains Following DuPont's Decade-Long Breakup

A Wall Street Journal analysis has raised questions about investor returns following DuPont’s multi-year corporate restructuring, which divided the historic conglomerate into multiple independent companies.

February 18, 2026
American Portfolios Ordered to Pay $4.6 Million in Restitution Over Cash Sweep Program Disclosures

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has ordered American Portfolios Financial Services to return $4.6 million to customers and pay monetary sanctions after determining that the firm overcharged investors and failed to properly disclose how it generated revenue through a cash sweep program.

February 17, 2026
FINRA Fines Kingswood Capital Partners $150,000 for Supervisory Failures in GWG L Bond Sales

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) censured and fined San Diego–based broker-dealer Kingswood Capital Partners $150,000 after finding supervisory failures tied to sales of high-risk GWG L bonds.