Conman posed as US general to defraud British women of £300,000
A fraudster who posed as an American general serving in Afghanistan
conned two women out of more than £300,000 in just six months in what
detectives believe was a multi-million-pound global scam.
The conman used images of real-life US soldiers to befriend the women
over Skype saying he wanted to move to the UK to marry them.
He posed as “General James Krulak” and “General James Raul” and
persuaded them to help transfer his $8.5 million (£5.4 million)
retirement fund — a “box of treasure” from a family in Afghanistan.
Today Scotland Yard issued an appeal, saying it has identified two
other possible victims of the fraudster but fears there may be many more
women who have lost money.
Detectives from the Yard’s new FALCON cyber crime unit say they have
uncovered evidence the con was part of a “sophisticated global network”
preying on vulnerable women.
Nigerian national Robinson Agbonifoayetan, 32, of Welling, is facing
jail after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud by false
representation at Isleworth crown court.
The court heard how the British victim, in her sixties and living in
Ealing, was befriended by a man she believed to be a US general after he
contacted her out of the blue on Skype.
The man insisted on speaking to her several times a day, paying her
countless compliments and confiding in her about tragic family events,
like his parents and sister dying in a car crash.
Within days he talked of marrying her and introduced the idea of a box
containing $8.5million, which he said he had been given by a family
after he saved their lives serving in Afghanistan.
She also agreed to meet an delivery agent at a rail station who
produced a United Nations diplomatic ID card bearing the name
Christopher Williams, saying he came from St Lucia — though the card
bore the flag of Belgium. Police say this was actually Agbonifoayetan,
who was also the fake US general on Skype.
The victim used up her life savings, pawned jewellery, sold her car
and took out loans to pay the spiralling costs before finally becoming
suspicious and going to the police.
Detectives arrested Agbonifoayetan at Heathrow airport on December 17
2014, as he tried to leave the country on a flight to Nigeria.
When police raided his family home in Welling they found a receipt
book with details of a second victim in Devon. The woman, in her
fifties, was sold a similar story by a “General James Raul” and handed
over £22,000.
Detectives are now seeking a compensation order to help the victims
recoup some of the cash, which was sent to Ghana and Nigeria.
Detective Constable Nick Curtis, who led the inquiry, said: “We are
coming across a number of cases of romance fraud. I urge anyone who
thinks they may have been a victim to report it to police now.”
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Title :
Meet the Nigerian Yahoo Boy Who Makes N100M Every 6 Months
Description : Conman posed as US general to defraud British women of £300,000 A fraudster who posed as an American general serving in Afghanistan co...
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