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.
Credit : Daily Post
