Legal News

A Nigerian national is facing a jail sentence after Scotland Yard uncovered a “sophisticated global network” which defrauded British women out of thousands of pounds in a romance fraud scam.

The Evening Standard reports that 32-year-old Robinson Agbonifoayetan from Welling pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation at Isleworth Crown Court.

One of his victims is a British woman in her sixties who lives in Ealing, west London. The woman was befriended online by a man she believed to be a general in the US Army. He had contacted her “out-of-the-blue” on Skype, the court heard.

He insisted on talking to her several times a day – and paid her compliments, as well as confiding in her about family events, such as the deaths of his parents and sister in a car crash.

The court heard that within days he had mentioned marrying the woman – and had also mentioned a box which contained US$8.5 million, which he said he had been given by a family after he had saved their lives while serving in Afghanistan.

The unsuspecting victim agreed to meet a delivery agent at a railway station – the man she met produced a United Nations Diplomatic ID card which bore the name Christopher Williams and stated he came from St Lucia. The flag on the ID card was the Belgian flag, however.

The man was actually Agbonifoayetan, who was also masquerading as the phoney US general on Skype.

The woman used her life savings and pawned her jewellery, sold her car and took out loans to help him transfer the $8.5m retirement fund – referred to as a “box of treasure” – from the family in Afghanistan.

Eventually, she became suspicious about the spiralling costs involved in doing this and went to the police.

Agbonifoayetan was arrested at Heathrow Airport on 17 December 2014, as he attempted to leave the UK on a flight to Nigeria.

Police raided his family home in Welling and found a receipt book containing the details of a second woman in Devon who had fallen prey to the scam.

The woman in her fifties told police a similar tale about a General James Raul – she had handed over £22,000.

Detectives are seeking a compensation order to help both women recover some of the cash, which Agbonifoayetan sent to Ghana and Nigeria.

Detective Constable Nick Curtis led the inquiry into Agbonifoayetan and warned others to be aware of romance fraud:

“We are coming across a number of cases of romance fraud.

“I urge anyone who thinks they may have been a victim to report it to police now.”

Duncan Lewis Fraud Lawyers

Duncan Lewis fraud lawyers can advise at any stage of a charge involving fraud, including charges relating to:

• Benefit fraud
• Boiler room scams
• Company fraud
• Conveyancing fraud
• Corporate fraud
• Credit Card fraud
• Holiday fraud
• Housing fraud
• Insurance fraud
• Mortgage fraud
• Ponzi schemes
• Pyramid schemes
• Restaurant fraud
• Romance fraud
• Ticketing fraud
• White collar crime.

There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide and a criminal defence lawyer can usually reach a police station within 45 minutes to advise on fraud charges.

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

For 24/7 help at a police station, call the Duncan Lewis Emergency Hotline on 020 7275 2036.