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Kent man jailed for three years for assisting dating fraud gang (13 October 2014)

Date: 13/10/2014
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Kent man jailed for three years for assisting dating fraud gang

The UK-based aide to a gang which used dating websites to defraud victims of thousands of pounds has been jailed by Southwark Crown Court in southeast London.

The Daily Mail reports that members of the gang posed as single people seeking relationships on some of the most popular online dating websites, targeting vulnerable men and women and eventually conning them out of large sums of money.

Businessman Osaro Osaigbovo, 39, from Dartford in Kent came to Britain with a view to making a fortune, the court was told.

Osaigbovo had studied at the University of Hertfordshire where he gained a master’s degree in Human Resources – before becoming a major contributor to the God Worshippers Ministry in Hackney, east London.

He helped the gang launder the proceeds of crime and received £45,000 for his services, which involved laundering £194,000 between 2010 and 2011.

The court also heard the gang he worked for targeted victims worldwide, using dating website such as Match.com and Adult Friend Finder.

A 59-year-old man living in Belgium – who believed he was sending money to a young British artist called Chloe Elsevier in County Durham – lost £320,000. He became suspicious when he read an investigative article in The Northern Echo newspaper about the gang’s activities.

However, he ignored a police warning and kept on sending money. The man also sent the gang a copy of a letter he received from the police warning him about the scam.

A woman in Florida was also duped out of £25,000 by a man claiming he was a neurosurgeon in Los Angeles and needed a loan to “sort out” the affairs of his late business partner.

In court, Osaigbovo, entered a plea of not guilty, but was convicted of having entered into a money laundering arrangement and three counts of acquiring criminal property. The jury cleared him of a second count of money laundering and seven counts of acquiring criminal property.

Osaigbovo was jailed for three years, as the judge warned that dating fraud is “gaining momentum”.

Anyone who suspects they may be a victim of dating fraud or relationship fraud should report their suspicions to the police and not part with any large sums of money requested.

Duncan Lewis Fraud Lawyers

Duncan Lewis fraud lawyers can advise at any stage of a criminal charge – including charges relating to dating or relationship fraud and online fraud.

Duncan Lewis fraud lawyers can also advise on criminal charges relating to:

• Benefit fraud
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• Boiler room scams
• Company fraud
• Conveyancing fraud
• Credit card fraud
• Financial fraud
• ID fraud
• Mortgage fraud
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• Restaurant fraud
• Ticketing fraud.

For expert legal advice on all fraud charges, call Duncan Lewis fraud lawyers on 020 7923 4020.

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