Conman who duped elderly couple in 419 ‘inheritance’ scam gets 15 years behind bars

A conman from Nigeria will spend the next 15 years in jail for defrauding an elderly couple in what is known as the 419 scam.

The Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday sentenced Olutosin Gbenga Lekam for scamming the South African couple out of an undisclosed amount of money.

The 419 scam typically involves convincing unsuspecting people that they have inherited a large amount of money and then coaxing them into first making payments before they can receive the inheritance.

According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, Lekam was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg while on his way to Dubai in 2017.

Lekam and his company, OG Nkateko Trading CC, were charged with fraud, theft and money laundering.

Lekam pretended to be one Ian J Mackay, a representative of HSBC Bank plc in London, who located missing heirs to vast deceased estates.

David Currie and his wife received scam emails claiming to represent one of the UK’s most high-profile and legitimate probate research firms – Finders International Probate Genealogists – in London. Lekam claimed his company was assigned to deal with their “inheritance”.

Finders International, which is also featured on the popular BBC TV programme ‘Heir Hunters’, has confirmed to having no links to the fraudster or would ever contact potential clients under the manner in which he conducted himself.

The email stated that the company was conducting investigations into a deceased client who shared their surname and that they were nominated as beneficiaries of the deceased’s estate.

Lekam was found to have used fictitious names and sent fraudulent documents to the complainants by email. He convinced the couple to give him their passports and told them to deposit money into his bank account.

“The accused was linked to the commission of the offences through the company registration documents from the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), his First National Bank [account] number and the banking details he gave to the complainants to deposit amounts of money. The court heard evidence that the accused was the only authorised signatory to this banking account,” Mjonondwane said.

In aggravation of sentence, senior State advocate Patrick Nkuna argued that Lekam targeted vulnerable pensioners living in old-age homes.

Currie’s wife told the court about the impact the crime had on both her and her husband, stating that her husband’s health was adversely affected as a result of the crime.

The acting Director of Public Prosecutions in Pretoria advocate George Baloyi applauded the dedication of the prosecutor and investigating team in bringing justice for the elderly couple.

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