⏱ 2 min read
A 30-year-old Ivorian national, Koffi Dongo Parfait Teya, has been charged in a $14 million fraud scheme that targeted over 430 travel agencies in the Eastern District of Texas. The scheme involved an email phishing campaign that tricked travel agency employees into giving up their login credentials, which were then used to book airline tickets and charge the costs to the agencies’ accounts. The scam caused approximately $14 million in losses and was carried out with the help of associates. Teya was arrested in Cote D’Ivoire with the cooperation of local law enforcement, but will not be extradited to the US.
The fraud scheme was part of a larger operation known as Operation Riptide, an FBI campaign aimed at targeting cyber-enabled crime and fraud. The operation seeks to eliminate predatory schemes that operate through organized criminal networks and online services, often crossing borders to evade law enforcement. These schemes can be devastating for small businesses and family-owned companies, often resulting in financial ruin and closures.
Teya’s arrest and charges are a significant step in the fight against cyber-enabled crime, and demonstrate the importance of international cooperation in combating these types of schemes. The FBI’s Operation Riptide has been working to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks behind these schemes, and Teya’s case is just one example of the operation’s success.
The case against Teya is expected to be pursued in Cote D’Ivoire, and it remains to be seen what sentence he will face if convicted. However, the fact that he has been charged and arrested is a major victory for the FBI and the travel agencies that were targeted by the scheme.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: Texas
- Location: TX
- Source: DOJ Press Release
