In a brazen act of cyber fraud that shocked both Nigerian and U.S. law enforcement circles, a Nigerian internet fraudster, Ehiremen Aigbokhan, managed to defraud a prominent American donor of over $460,000 in cryptocurrency by posing as a representative of Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration committee. Operating from Lagos, Aigbokhan set up a deceptive email address that subtly mimicked the official domain used by Trump’s campaign team—swapping the lowercase “i” for a number “1” in the domain name—to send convincing fundraising solicitations. On December 26, 2024, the unsuspecting donor wired 250,301 USDT (a stablecoin tethered to the U.S. dollar on the Ethereum blockchain), believing it was a legitimate contribution to support inauguration logistics for the incoming administration.
The scam, while technically simple, was executed with stunning precision. After receiving the funds, Aigbokhan moved the money across several Ethereum wallets in rapid succession—a laundering tactic often used to obscure the trail of stolen cryptocurrency. He also attempted to use a Binance exchange account registered in his name to convert portions of the funds into other forms of crypto. However, a swift response from U.S. federal investigators and crypto companies halted his plans. Tether, the issuer of USDT, froze the wallets involved on December 31, 2024, following an urgent request from the FBI. Investigators traced the funds back to Lagos using blockchain forensics and IP address data tied to Aigbokhan’s online activity.
In response, the FBI filed a civil forfeiture complaint in a U.S. District Court to seize over 40,000 USDT from two crypto wallets associated with Aigbokhan. Legal documents revealed he had been orchestrating this and possibly other scams through a series of fraudulent email campaigns. While a formal arrest warrant has been issued, Aigbokhan remains at large in Nigeria. U.S. authorities are reportedly collaborating with Nigerian cybercrime units to locate and apprehend him, with extradition on the table.
This case underscores the evolving sophistication of Nigerian “Yahoo Boys,” who are increasingly moving away from traditional email lottery scams and embracing advanced cybercrime techniques. It also reveals vulnerabilities in political fundraising systems, especially when crypto transactions are involved. Experts say the scam serves as a wake-up call for global institutions and political campaigns to invest in cybersecurity training, domain protection, and real-time transaction monitoring. As law enforcement agencies push for international cooperation, this case may set a precedent for how cross-border cybercrime involving digital assets is prosecuted in the future.
