EFCC
Press Release
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered and
returned the sum of 10,000 Euros (Ten Thousand Euros) about Two Million, Two Hundred
and Fifty Thousand Naira), to F. Mercade, a French citizen, who was victim of
internet love scam. The fund was wired to the victim through his account in France
on the recommendation of the French Embassy in Nigeria.
Roger Balima, French Police Liaison Officer who confirmed the receipt
of the funds by the victim, thanked the EFCC “for the good job.”
Mercade was duped by two internet fraudsters, Omodara Adedapo
Oluseye and Adesuyi Ayodeji Adedapo after he was deceived into a phantom
relationship that was supposedly alter-bound.
The scam was reported to the Commission via a petition from the French
Consulate in Lagos, on behalf of Mercade. The petitioner alleged that he met a Nigerian
beauty by name, ‘Kate Williams’ on the internet sometime in 2009 and they
developed a relationship which was to culminate in marriage. ‘Williams’ was to
relocate to join Mercade in France, to consummate the relationship. While
Mercade planned the logistics of the relocation, ‘Williams’ who purportedly did
some jobs for an unnamed company in Nigeria, came up with a story that the
company refused to pay ‘her’ for job done. ‘She’ sought the assistance of
Mercade and the ‘couple’ contacted a lawyer named ‘James Robert’, to procure
traveling documents and also help her claim money from the company owing her.
Mercade parted with the sum of 25,000.00 Euros, through Western
Union, in processing his brides’ passage with no bride in sight. Eventually, it
dawned on him that he had been scammed.
Investigations into the matter by the Commission revealed that ‘Kate
Williams’ is the pseudonym of Omodara Adedapo Oluseye, a male student of the
College of Agriculture, Akure, who, however, resides in Ibadan Oyo state.
Omodara’s accomplice, Adesuyi Ayodeji Adedapo, assisted in collecting the
money transferred by the victim from the Akure, Ondo State branch of a new
generation bank, using forged drivers’ license
The duo were prosecuted on a two count charge of conspiracy
and obtaining money by false pretences before a Federal High Court Lagos, convicted
and sentenced on 13th June 2011, to one year imprisonment each without an
option of fine.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media &
Publicity
2nd
July, 2015
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