An investigation has tracked down a classy scammer who posed as Dubai’s Crown Prince in a succesful plot to defraud a Romanian businesswoman out of over US $2.5 million.
That in itself, sadly, might be not that surprising a narrative. However what the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Venture (OCCRP) found was that on this specific case the perpetrators introduced themselves within the public eye as philanthropists, whereas secretly destroying victims’ lives.
The sufferer, Laura (not her actual title), was a profitable Romanian businesswoman when she acquired a LinkedIn message three years in the past from somebody claiming to be the Crown Prince of Dubai.
The person mentioned that he needed her help in investing a big quantity fo cash in a humanitarian basis in Romania. What adopted was a textbook instance of how trendy romance scams can function.
Over the following two years, the pair exchanged 1000’s of messages as a digital romance developed. In the meantime, Laura met a person who claimed to be the “Prince’s monetary supervisor” in London, the place she was given login credentials to a checking account exhibiting a deposit of over £200 million. The banking web site was, after all, an elaborate faux.
Fortuitously, a buddy of Laura’s had helpfully photographed her assembly the “monetary supervisor” – a snap that might later show essential.
Laura tried to withdraw funds from the account, solely to obtain calls for for giant charges to launch “the Prince’s funds.” As Laura had already despatched lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} to her on-line beau, she stored on paying, believing that it was the one technique to get well her cash.
In whole, she despatched over US $2.5 million earlier than realising that she had fallen sufferer to a con.
However issues had been to not go all of the scammer’s means. The faux prince had companions serving to transfer the cash, however they fell out over how the spoils of the rip-off needs to be divided. In the end they made contact with Laura, exposing the fraud and revealing the faux prince’s actual title: Nzube Henry Ikeji.
Laura was additionally despatched movies of Ikeji at his newly-purchased mansion in Abuja, Nigeria.
Armed with this info, reporters from OCCRP travelled to Nigeria to trace the scammer down.
Nigeria doesn’t have in depth Google Road View protection or full property registries, and so OCCRP’s Chikezie Omeje resorted to old school strategies to find Ikeji’s mansion – spending days driving round Abuja till he discovered the matching mansion.
In the meantime, the {photograph} taken by Laura’s buddy in London was shared with British police, who recognised the “monetary supervisor” as Dr. Martins Abhulimhen, who they’d coincidentally been investigating over suspicious financial institution transactions. These transactions, it transpired, had been Laura’s cash, which police traced from Dr. Abhulimhen all the best way to Nigeria and Ikeji himself.
However moderately than hiding within the darkness like some shadowy prison, Dr. Abhulimhen introduced himself as a globe-trotting philanthropist and businessman, rubbing shoulders with highly effective Nigerian officers and worldwide figures. Till just lately, as an illustration, he ran a basis which campaigned in opposition to gender-based violence.
Bizarrely, Ikeji additionally runs a Nigerian humanitarian basis, and in keeping with British police a few of Laura’s stolen funds went on to this charity.
A UK courtroom has since returned to Laura over £113,000from Dr. Martins Abhulimhen’s frozen financial institution accounts, however Laura has been informed that any prison investigation into her case would have to be led by Romanian authorities.
Laura’s case could also be excessive, but it surely’s removed from distinctive. Romance and funding scams have escalated worldwide, with organised crime syndicates recognising that on-line fraud is usually a profitable, straightforward, and relatively protected technique to make tens of millions.
The FBI’s Web Crime Grievance Middle persistently ranks romance scams amongst the most costly types of cybercrime, while UK victims misplaced over £92 million to romance fraud in 2023 alone.
Whether or not Ikeji or Dr. Abhulimhen will face justice stays unclear. However no less than one faux prince has found that his Nigerian mansion gives moderately much less sanctuary than he had hoped.
