‘Romance’ Scammer Promoted Fake Gold To Bilk Victims For Millions

Authorized by Ken Silva via header USA,

It was an old-fashioned romance scam, involving a man posing as a female online to induce unfortunate men to send his their life savings.

This scam, however, was reasonably complex, engaging a fake bank website and non-existent gold bars. The alleged perpetrator of this scam, Richard Opoku Agyemang, was estimated last period by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

According to the composite against Agyeong, a USPIS agent interviewed a Victim in January who sent $345,280 to Agyeong, who was posing online as “Emily.”

The Victim Told the USPIS agent that Emily spoke with an accent and purchased to stay in Miami, where she was working as an ICU caregiver at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Eventually, Emily began asking the victim for money,Which he sent to her. Emily told his the funds were going to pay for experimental and costly medicines means for her parent in London.

“According to Victim 1, Emily besides said she needed more money to pay ‘Mercury Assets safety Company’ in order to release 2 boxes of gold bars worth $9.2 million,” the composite said.

“Victim 1 has never met Emily in individual and has not received any gold bars.”

A second victim in fresh Mexico allegedly conviction Agyemang $410,000 while the defender was posting online as “Kathy.”

That Victim last the same USPRY agent he developed a romanticist relation with “Kathy” that moved to text messages and evenly to speaking on Skype and via email. alternatively of engaging him with gold, “Kathy” told the second victim “she” was supported to be receiving an inheritance of diamond stones from her determined father valued at $3.8 million.

The scam against the second victim besides active a fake bank website, according to the composite.

“Based on screenshots of emails provided by Victim 2, it apps that the suggestions created fraudulent websites for the First National Bank of London and for Neelevet, as well as fraudulent ‘customer support’ communications,” the composite said.

The Virginia and fresh Mexico victims were the only ones highlighted in the criminal composite, but the USPISA agent said there are at least “four dozen” another victims that have been biked for more than $2 million combined.

“I have been able to interview any of the another suggested victims and confirmed that, at least as to these individuals, the funds were sent in connection with a romance fraud,” the agent said in his affidavit.

“For example, 1 Victim provided copies of emails showing that he had been induced to send $13,000 to the RISUN LLC Wells Fargo account to pay for alleged taxes on gold bars being imported to the United States by his alleged online romanticist partner.”

Agyemang was suggested on April 24 with 1 number of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six countries of money laundering, and respective another charges.

He presently has a jury trial set for June 24, though, at this early phase of the case, it’s likely that the Justice Department has yet to offer him a plea deal.

Ken Silva is simply a staff author at header USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.