2 Nigerians nabbed with $500,000 worth of stolen goods in Atlanta

Gwinnett County sheriff deputies said they found stolen microscopes, medical equipment and electronics in a Snellville warehouse in Atlanta.

ALSO READ:Nigerian maid arrested for stealing money, jewelry from employers in Libya

The suspects identified as Gregory Bland, 55; Temitayo David, 55; and Toyosi Ogunleye, 43, have reportedly been charged with theft by receiving.

Instablog9ja reports that the deputies began investigating the case after a California company was defrauded of an order of 40 microscopes totalling $11,555.20 that was shipped to the warehouse on Eastgate Place in Snellville.

According to the reports, the order seemed to have come from an existing customer, but investigators later discovered that the microscope company had been a victim of a business email compromise scheme, which is a type of phishing scam.

Investigators reportedly stormed the warehouse on February 23 and encountered Bland, who said he was allowed to live at the building in exchange for accepting packages for the owner, David.

A statement released by the Sheriff's office revealed that during a search, investigators found the microscopes and other stolen items, including medical equipment and construction equipment.

All three suspects were arrested at the warehouse and David is being held without bail at the Gwinnett County Detention Center while Bland and Ogunleye have been released on $11,200 bail.

Nigerians turning to crime overseas

Every other day there seems to be a story of Nigerian arrested or locked up for fraud or scam.

In the UK or in America, young Nigerians are going to jail for credit card scams and fraud. In August 2017, arrested a 22 year old Nigerian by the name of Abramson Abdullah Adekola for forgery.

Upper Michigan Source reported that the suspect was apprehended on Thursday, August 24, 2017, by police deputies.

The news site also disclosed that he was being "charged with receiving and concealing stolen property over $1,000 but less than $20,000", an offence expected to earn him five years behind bars.

Adekola was arrested following an investigation into an identity fraud and stolen property processing operation, the report says. This is one of many stories of Nigerians involved in fraud overseas.

According to The Independent, Nigerians and our neighbours in Ghana are responsible for almost half of the fraud in the UK.

“The (NCIS) estimates that Nigerians and Ghanaians swindle pounds 3.5bn from individuals, businesses and the Government, out of annual frauds totalling pounds 8bn,” writes the British news website. This report was published in 1997.

The 80s and 90s saw millions of Nigerians leave the country in search of a better life in Europe and in America. These two decades saw a huge increase in advanced fee fraud cases coming from Nigeria.

As part of a new class of migrants in the UK and America, a lot of Nigerians found themselves in the lower class of their host country.

ALSO READ: Nigerian man gets jailed 4 years in UK jail for fraud

While some did menial jobs like cleaning and sweeping, others gravitated towards more illegal ways of making money.

As Internet fraud blossomed in Nigeria after the turn of the millennium, credit card scams started to rise in the Nigerian community overseas.

A decade or so later, cases of fraud haven’t stopped both back home and in countries where there are strong communities of Nigerians.

For Nigerians who live abroad and are into fraudulent hustles, there is no clear cut reason why they do what they do. In the western world where there is better amenities and life is more stable, it is puzzling why Nigerians commit acts of fraud.