Nigerian swindler nabbed for alleged romance scam

Western Cape police have arrested a 42-year-old Nigerian swindler for an alleged romance scam.

The Nigerian national was handcuffed this week following a multidisciplinary operation by officers attached to the Commercial Crime Investigation unit.

Romance scam

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said reports suggested that the complainant, a Canadian citizen, reported a romance scam in 2022 in which she indicated that she met an unknown person on social media, known as Raymond Butler.

“The suspect befriended her and they started chatting via a known website and later privately. The digital relationship expanded to the extent that the suspect convinced the complainant to invest R24 million in a project abroad.

“The investigating officer pursued the relevant information and ensured a break through when he arrested a 42-year-old Nigerian national at a premises in Charing Crescent, Parklands in Table View,” Swartbooi said.

Swartbooi said the suspect is expected to make a court appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on a charge of fraud.

ALSO READ: How to spot an online romance scam

Precautions

Online dating has never been more popular, which makes it a risky adventure for those seeking love. But there are ways to spot a scammer and red flags to look out for.

Swartbooi advised women in particular to remain vigilant and not to fall prey to scammers who want to enter their lives with the promise of love, to defraud them out of their money.

“The following tips could help women identify possible dating scammers:

• They look and sound very caring and responsible and always come up with a business proposal
• They do not want their pictures to be taken and do not want to meet with you in a public place
• They always hide their identification documents and do not introduce you to their families
•  They want to own everything in a relationship and do not take you to their real house
• They always come up with contradictory stories.

Data from the Federal Trade Commission in the United States shows that in 2021 reported losses to romance scammers were up nearly 80% compared to the previous year.

This was followed by an alert issued by the FBI which noted victims of romance fraud lost $1 billion in 2021 alone.

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