The Nigerian con artist, 37, who convinced Aussie to send him $60,000 in an elaborate romance scam is BUGGED, and will have to pay the cash back
- Nigerian national arrested for romance scam
- An Australian sent you $60,000
An online romance scammer from Nigeria will have to repay his Australian victim $60,000 after his lies finally catch up with him.
Ogenevowero Emefeke, 37, was arrested on May 22 by the Nigeria Police Force: National Cyber Crime Center after an international operation involving South Australian Police.
Emefeke from the capital Abuja is accused of running an elaborate scam in which he created fake online accounts and posed as well-known celebrities.
He would then approach his targets via social media and earn their trust over weeks and months by “playing on their emotions to swindle them out of their resources.”
Nigerian police force officers arrested Emefeke following “actionable intelligence” provided by the SA Police Force.
Ogenevowero Emefeke, 37, was arrested in May in connection with an elaborate ‘romance scam’
The Force’s public relations officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the Australian victim’s money is in the process of being returned.
“The suspect, in a written statement during the police interview, freely admitted to committing the fraud and several others dating back to 2021,” Adejobi said.
“The investigation further revealed that the victims are often vulnerable men and women desperately seeking emotional comfort and fame.”
He warned the public to exercise “restraint when engaging in business and relationships with people whose real identities have not been physically verified.”
Emefeke will be charged at the end of the investigation.
Australians have lost over $190 million to online scams this year alone (file image)
Nigeria has long been known as a hotbed for online scammers, particularly romance scams and ‘419’ or Prince of Nigeria scams.
A 2012 Microsoft research paper analyzed data and showed that more than half of all email scams in that year originated in the country.
But in recent years, other African nations, along with countries in Eastern Europe and Asia, have seen a huge increase in scammers looking to trick victims into even stranger and more deceptive scams.
Australians have lost more than $190 million to scams this year alone, according to Scamwatch.