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Capalaba man fleeced in online romance scam
11 Nov, 2010 12:00 AM
A CAPALABA man has been scammed out of $22,000 in an elaborate online romance scam.
The Nigerian man, aged in his 20s, was arrested following a covert operation conducted by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Queensland Police Service and was this month convicted and sentenced to 12 years in jail.
The scam started when the 47-year-old began what he thought was a promising romance with a Nigerian-based woman he met on a dating website. The two built up a relationship via email and after some time, the woman agreed to travel to Australia with her six-year-old daughter.
The Capalaba man paid for the airfares, but was informed the daughter had been hit by a car and he was asked to pay for her medical expenses. The man handed over more money to the woman before she again promised she would fly to Australia.
After telling the man she had left for Australia, the woman rang him and advised she had flown to London, but was unable to complete her journey to Australia after authorities stopped her and her child at Heathrow Airport and returned them home. The man was told she did not have the required paperwork.
Following a joint investigation between the State Crime Operations Command's Fraud and Corporate Crime Group and the EFCC, the woman he had been dating was found to be a Nigerian man, who had conducted the entire scam from an internet cafe in Lagos.
The Nigerian man was convicted in the Lagos State High Court and sentenced to 12 years' jail and ordered to refund the money unlawfully obtained.
Detective Superintendent Brian Hay, of the Fraud and Corporate Crime Group, said online romance scams were on the rise.
"Fortunately this scam has a positive outcome, but this result is the exception to the rule. People need to really start listening to our warnings and understand these offenders are out there and will target you," Detective Superintendent Hay said.
