A 31-year-old
internet fraudster, Adio Opeyemi Michael, has been arrested by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for defrauding a 72-year-old Dutch
woman of €200,000 (about N40.6 million) in a romance scam.
The
suspect, who is a native of Owu Local Government Area of Ogun State, was said
to have met his victim, identified simply as Jeanet De Jonge, on Netlog dating
site and pretended to be a 41-year-old American citizen working as a chef in a
Nigerian restaurant and needs a wife.
Spokesman
for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, while confirming the report, told Vanguard that
the suspect’s profile actually attracted Jeanet and she eventually began
sending him money through Western Union and Money Gram.
You
will recall that He further disclosed that the suspect collected various sums
on the pretext that he was going to use the money to perfect his travel plans and
obtain the required documents that would enable him travel to Holland to join
or visit Jeanet. But his inability or refusal to honour the invitation from
Jeanet prompted her to write a petition to the EFCC.
Sources
at the EFCC told Vanguard that operatives of the anti-graft agency used
information provided by the victim in her petition to track and apprehend the
suspect.
Meanwhile,
the suspect in his confessional statement said: “She was sending me money
monthly, ranging from $800 to $900 from June 2012, through Western Union Money
transfer and Money Gram to the extent that Western Union blocked her access.
“So,
she requested that I should go to London to enable her send more money there. I
contacted a friend in London called Osas Odiah, who was supposed to receive the
money and dispatch same to me in Nigeria.
“She
first sent €2,000 to my friend’s account in London and he didn’t remit the
money to me. I later opened a Keystone Bank Forex Trade account through
which she sent me money.”
According
to Wilson, the suspect will be arraigned in court as soon as investigation is
concluded.
No comments:
Post a Comment